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  1. - Top - End - #1
    Ogre in the Playground
     
    Dorni's Avatar

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    Jul 2005

    Default White Cloud City OOC

    IC Thread
    Discord

    Player Character Academy Name Concept HP AC Init Per VP
    Hyperbolic Sine Kuroda Tsugiharu Sugimoto Tsugiharu Troubled Assassin 60 21 9 11 3
    Zetion Mateo Alvarez / El Diablo Blanco Keiji Muto FOR THE HONOR OF THE MASK 54 19 2 1 4
    Tonberryking ? Kotetsu Hengeyokai illegitimate heiress 54 22 6 7 4
    Zelphas Yamazaki Shiori Nyx Shiori Dreamwalker 78 18 3 9 2

    Notes:
    Adarata uses the Vanguard Class.

    Spoiler: Rules Reference / OP
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    Spoiler: System & Sources
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    System: D&D 3.5
    Player Count: 4-5
    Style of Play: PBP here on the GitP forums. The game will feature both tactical combat (plenty of it) and roleplay, but roleplay and storycrafting will be emphasized. The game will be episodic in structure, featuring adventures focused around discrete events with significant downtime between them. PCs are starting as teens but will graduate and be adults.
    Allowed Content:
    • PHB/DMG
    • Tomb of Battle
    • Magic Item Compendium
    • Spell Compendium
    • Path of War Classes and Disciplines. Any bonuses to CMD are instead applied to the relevant maneuver (Trip, Disarm, etc) described in the maneuver.
    • PoW Feats are allowed
    • PF Feats are allowed
    • For PF sources treat any skill rank requirements as increased by 3 (to account for how the systems handle skills).
    • GITP Martial Discipline Compendium By Request* (See Below)

    Quote Originally Posted by Thokk_Smash View Post
    Oh, as a note to everyone: the Giantitp Homebrew Martial Discipline Compendium has broken links for the MinMax forums links. At least, when I try to click on them, they redirect to a 404 not found type thing. I was able to find the list on the MinMax forums, which has working links.


    Spoiler: Character Creation
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    • Backstory: (See Below)
    • Experience: Level 3
    • Wealth: 2700gp
    • Ability Scores: 32 point buy
    • Hitpoints/Health: Max HP for all HD. After adding Con, Multiply the total by 1.5. Example: A 3rd level Fighter with 14 Con has (10 (HD) + 2 (Con Mod))* 3 (level) * 1.5 = 54HP
      This results in large hitpoint pools, and this is intentional. It has been my experience that the default hit point pools simply don’t scale fast enough to keep up with the damage scaling as martial adepts grow. It isn’t particularly difficult to create a martial adept that has the potential to 1-round kill adepts of the same level; I want combat to be about clashing martial arts styles and heroic combat, not a test to see who won initiative and lands the first hit.
    • Alignment: Any Non-Evil
    • Races: Human. Humans have the following characteristics:
      • +2 to any 1 stat
      • 4 extra Skill points at 1st level and 1 extra skill point at each additional level
      • 1 Bonus Feat at 1st level
    • Additionally, all characters get the following benefits:
      • 1 Additional Bonus Feat at 1st level
      • Choose 1 of the following: 1 Exotic Weapon Proficiency or +2 bonus to any 1 skill
      • Background: Choose any 1 skill that relates to your character’s background. Maybe as a noble you were trained in Diplomacy from a young age. Maybe your father hunted magical beasts and passed on his Survival skills. You gain that skill as a Class Skill and gain 5 free skill ranks in that skill. You cannot exceed your maximum skill ranks in this way.
    • Feats: Feats are gained at every odd level (1st, 3rd, 5th, etc)
    • Ability Boosts: At 2nd level, and every subsequent even-numbered level, characters may may apply a +2 Enhancement bonus to one of their ability scores (or increase an existing enhancement bonus by +2, to a max of +6). This bonus may not be applied to the same ability score twice in a row.

    These changes are intended to facilitate as many styles of play as possible. In particular, I hate Feat starvation and am granting the extra bonus feats mitigate that somewhat and to let feat-heavy builds come online a bit earlier. Exotic Weapons are also something I gripe with - there are a lot of exotic weapons that provide a unique flavor or open up interesting fighting styles, but there are relatively few of them that are worth spending a feat on. I don’t want that to get in the way of enabling variety.


    Spoiler: Classes and Disciplines
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    Classes
    As this is a very martial-heavy setting, Tomb of Battle and Art of War classes are encouraged. Other non-magical classes are allowed as are martial variants of the same. I ask you provide a description or link if you intend to use a martial variant of another class. Spellcasting classes are not allowed. Hybrid spellcasters such as Bards should use a non-magical or martial variant. Disciplines may come from Tomb of Battle, Path of War, or the GITP Homebrew Discipline compendium. I will consider Disciplines from other sources - send me a link or source for my review.

    Banned Disciplines*
    • Broken Blade - This school is specifically designed to specialize in defeating martial adepts. I like the school myself, but martial adepts and the clashing of fighting styles play an integral role in this setting. I’m not allowing a school explicitly designed as a hard-counter to martial adepts.
    • Jade Throne - This school is just extremely powerful - it’s an absolute damage hose that also has mobility boosts and excellent defenses including a skill-check-in-place-of-any-save Counter. It’s just very strong in every category with no real shortcomings to offset that.
    • Ocean Tempest - The ability to make a full round of attacks as Touch Attacks with a multi-round boost providing escalating bonuses to attack and damage per successful attack and another boost to deny the target their dex for a full round? Going to say no on that.

    Note: While my default answer to allowing disciplines from the GITP compendium is ‘yes’, I reserve the right to ban additional Disciplines from the Homebrew Martial Design Compendium - it is too large to go through every Discipline individually up front. However, I cite the above disciplines as well as my reasoning for banning them to try to communicate where my point of balance lies and give you an idea of what I wouldn’t allow. If you have a question about a Discipline, please ask.


    Spoiler: Skill Changes
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    • Hide and Move Silently are combined into a single skill: Stealth.
    • Spot and Listen are combined into a single skill: Perception
    • Balance and Tumble are combined into a single skill: Acrobatics
    • Climb, Jump and Swim are combined into a single skill: Athletics
    • Concentration gains the uses of Autohypnosis. Autohypnosis is removed.
    • Disable Device gains the uses of Open Lock. Open Lock is removed.
    • Profession skills may be used in place of a Knowledge skill for relevant questions.
    • Appraise gains the following use: Identify Magic Item. Magic items may be identified with a check of DC 15 + items CL to create. No retry. Attempting to identify a magic item requires at least 1 minute.
    • Heal gains the following use: Treat Wounds. A skilled medic can attempt to treat their own or others’ wounds. This requires a DC 15 Heal check. On a success, the healer restores 1hp to the target per round, lasting 10 rounds. The user must use a Standard Action each round to maintain the effect. This is a touch-range effect. For each 5 points by which the check result exceeds the DC, increase the hp restored per round by +1. Using Heal in this way requires a Healer’s Kit and counts as 2 uses of that kit.
    • All Knowledge skills are treated as Class Skills by all classes. What you're able to learn depends on who you are, not arbitrarily based on what class you chose.
    • Spellcraft gains the functions of Psicraft & equivalent skills. UMD gains the functions of UPD & equivalent skills.
    • Knowledge (Arcana) gains the functions of Spellcraft. Spellcraft is removed.


    Retroactive skill points are allowed at time of character creation. Afterwards, no. If you have any skill in a skill that has been combined into another as a class skill, you gain the combined skill as a class skill.
    Spoiler: On Knowledges
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    I of course encourage players to pick knowledges based on whether the character will have it rather than on pure utility. That said, here are some knowledges that I expect to be particularly relevant.
    • Arcana - Humans cannot use magic innately, but magic is still part of the world. This skill will cover sources of magical power in the land, magical formations and interactions, recognizing magical abilities possessed by demon beasts, and has some tertiary use in identifying magical craftsmanship
    • Demon Beasts - This is the bardic knowledge of Demon Beasts. Other knowledges can provide more specialized information about particular creatures or abilities, but this skill is useful for identifying demon beasts and getting a broad overview of what they can do.
    • Geography - The wilds are hostile. Learn important techniques to navigate them!
    • History - White Cloud city has a long history, with many clan feuds and tradition that date back many years. This skill is useful because understanding the past can shed light on the present. It can also occasionally back-door into other knowledges by, say, recognizing that type of demon beast from a story.
    • Local - General knowledge about White Cloud City itself and clans, the districts within it, and how people live. Focuses on practical knowledge / commoner's perspective. For instance, this skill can identify various organizations and nobles in the city, but won't be able to reveal much specialized knowledge about them.
    • Martial - This one should not require explanation
    • Nature - Animals, plants, nature spirits and natural phenomena. Can identify more beastial type demon-beasts and their role in ecosystems.
    • Nobility - The Great Clans and nobility of the city. It covers identifying nobles, understanding of political matters, matters of court and court etiquette, and gives specialized information information about noble houses and their roles/holdings in the city. Has some overlap with Local, but from a noble's perspective (imagine a noble who is a political genius but knows nothing about how normal people live).
    • Streetwise - The underworld of White Cloud City. Recognize what are the safe places, what places are less safe, which guards and magistrates are known to be corrupt. Overlaps with Local, but from an underworld perspective.


    GM note: These changes are intended to streamline some skills by combining them with skills that do functionally the same thing (ie, Hide + Move Silently) or to combine often-ignored skills into a more attractive package (ie: Athletics). Appraise and Heal are gaining new functions because they are often-ignored skills that also happen to dovetail very well with core game needs (identifying magic items and healing respectively) that are normally handled by magic spells that would otherwise be unavailable in a non-magic setting.

    Overall, the skill changes are designed to make some normally unattractive skills more attractive, and in a world without magic I expect that certain skills which are normally rendered obsolete by spells will retain their usefulness. Additionally, many martial disciplines require skill checks as part of some maneuvers. Combined with the changes to Crafting, my overall hope is that skill choices become more meaningful.


    Spoiler: Magic
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    Magic is alive and well in the world, just not in a form that allows humans to cast spells as a traditional wizard or sorcerer. Magical forests and springs with wondrous effects dot the wilds, while herbs and other materials can be harvested that have magical properties.

    Most importantly, the very demon beasts that would wipe out humanity also provide their own gift; inside each magical beast’s body forms a crystal that contains the creature’s essence. These magic cores (commonly called soul gems) vary in power based on the creature that they came from, growing in power as the creature does. These soul gems can be harvested from slain beasts and are prized as they are a crystalized source of magical power, which skilled craftsmen can weave into their work to create magical armor and weapons. Skilled inscriptionists can also pour their power into complex inscriptions (scrolls) to create magical effects. It is these arts just as much as the vast array of martial Disciplines that allows humanity to endure.

    Spoiler: Crafting
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    Note: Crafting in this game (should anyone pick a crafting feat) will be handled mainly through Downtime Actions during the timeskips between Adventures. This is primarily due to the nature of the adventures; the adventures will tend to focus on discrete events that will span at most a few days in which the characters will be actively adventuring or responding to events. I will not rule out mid-adventure crafting, but I don’t expect much of it to occur given the time requirements on crafting magic items. The list of Crafting feats below is not exhaustive and exhibits the basic pattern in which a character picks a Craft skill and then takes a feat which enables the character to create magic versions of the items normally created by their profession.

    Other than the obvious need of making crafting magic items possible in a setting with no spellcasters, part of the intention behind these crafting changes is to reward (and require) investment in the appropriate crafting skill in order to advance one’s trade - as should be expected. Becoming the greatest weaponsmith in the city isn’t something to be done overnight. It also serves to democratize crafting skills, making them available to anyone who is willing to make the investment. Further, becoming a crafting specialist remains an investment; while most characters shouldn’t have too much difficulty allocating skill points to a single crafting skill if they wish to do so, taking up multiple crafting skills should be an investment.


    Inscriptionist
    Prerequisite: Decipher Script 5 ranks
    Benefit: You may use your Decipher Script skill to create Scrolls. Your caster level for the purpose of creating scrolls is equal to your ranks in Decipher Script - 3. You must make a Decipher Script check (DC 20 + caster level) to emulate each spell normally required to create the item. Additionally, you may use your Decipher Script skill to identify Scrolls in place of the Appraise skill and may use your Decipher Script skill to activate a Scroll in place of the Use Magic Device skill.

    Alchemist
    Prerequisite: Craft (Alchemy) 5 ranks
    Benefit: You may use your Alchemy skill to create Potions. Potions may emulate any spell of up to 5th level. Your caster level for the purpose of creating potions is equal to your ranks in Craft (Alchemy) - 3. You must make a Craft (Alchemy) check (DC 20 + caster level) to emulate each spell normally required to create the item. Additionally, you may use your Craft (Alchemy) skill to identify Potions in place of the Appraise skill.

    Note: The Alchemy and Inscription arts have societal importance in addition to the monetary value of the items they create. With the absence of Staves and Wands, they are the only means of reliably acquiring spell effects. While Martial Disciplines on the whole have incredible variety to them, there are many spell effects that martial disciplines just don’t emulate well, and due to the limits of maneuvers known it may not be feasible to acquire such a maneuver anyway. As such, the importance of being prepared with the appropriate Inscription or Potion when hunting the more powerful magical beasts is widely understood among adepts. A clan can gain influence if they produce a talented alchemist or inscriptionist. Many aspiring Alchemists or Inscriptionists are either trained by or later join the Alchemist Guild or Inscriptionist Consortium, and the major families also seek to recruit individuals with talent in either discipline as well.

    Weaponsmith
    Prerequisite: Craft (Weaponsmithing) 5 ranks
    Benefit: You may use your Craft (Weaponsmithing) skill to create magical weapons. Your caster level for the purpose of creating magic weapons is equal to your ranks in Craft (Weaponsmithing) - 3. You must make a Craft (Weaponsmithing) check (DC 20 + caster level) to emulate each spell normally required to create the item. In other respects, this feat functions as the Craft Magical Arms and Armor feat.

    Additionally, you may use your Craft (Weaponsmithing) skill to identify weapons in place of the Appraise skill.

    Armorsmith
    Prerequisite: Craft (Armorsmithing) 5 ranks
    Benefit: You may use your Armorsmithing skill to create magical armor. Your caster level for the purpose of creating magic carmor is equal to your ranks in Craft (Armorsmithing) - 3. You must make a Craft (Armorsmithing) check (DC 20 + caster level) to emulate each spell normally required to create the item. In other respects, this feat functions as the Craft Magical Arms and Armor feat.

    Additionally, you may use your Craft (Armorsmithing) skill to identify armor in place of the Appraise skill.

    Jewler
    Prerequisite: Craft (Jewelry) 5 ranks
    Benefit: You may use your Craft (Jewelry) skill to create magical rings, amulets, and bracelets. Your caster level for the purpose of creating these items is equal to your ranks in Craft (Jewelry) - 3. You must make a Craft (Jewelry) check (DC 20 + caster level) to emulate each spell normally required to create the item. In other respects, this feat functions as both Craft Ring and Craft Wondrous Item for appropriate items.

    Additionally, you may use your Craft (Jewlery) skill to identify such items in place of the Appraise skill.

    Tailor
    Prerequisite: Craft (Tailoring) 5 ranks
    Benefit: You may use your Craft (Tailoring)skill to create magical clothing, robes, cloaks, vests, or similar items. Your caster level for the purpose of creating these items is equal to your ranks in Craft (Tailoring) - 3. You must make a Craft (Tailoring) check (DC 20 + caster level) to emulate each spell normally required to create the item. In other respects, this feat functions as Craft Wondrous Item for appropriate items.

    Additionally, you may use your Craft (Tailoring) skill to identify such items in place of the Appraise skill.

    Additional crafting feats may be allowed subject to GM approval.


    Spoiler: Victory Points
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    This game will be making use of a modified version of M&M’s Victory Points system. Victory Points represent that something that sets the PCs apart from everyone else, whether it be luck, talent, or determination. Victory points allow players some ability to edit the plot of a scene and come through at critical moments. Players start each Adventure with 1 VP and have the opportunity to earn more over the course of an Adventure. Additional VPs may be earned through Complications (see Complications). Unspent VPs do not carry over to the next Adventure. Note that Victory Points are a player resource, not a character resource.

    Victory Points may be spent for one of the following benefits. Unless otherwise specified, spending a VP may happen at any time and does not require an action.
    • Edit Scene - You can “edit” a scene to grant your character an advantage by adding or changing certain details in a scene. For instance, in a previous superhero game a character who was trying to hide his identity and powers noticed that he was being tailed by a foe. He used an Edit Scene to add a bus pulling up to a bus stop at the nearby corner, which he used to slip the tail. Editing a Scene does have limits - for instance, you cannot edit away damage taken or the effects of enemy attacks.
    • Improve Roll - You may re-roll any d20 roll and take the better of the two rolls. When rerolling in this way, if the reroll die’s result is less than 11, add 10 to the die roll and treat the result as non-natural (ie, it cannot crit).
    • Heroic Resolve - You may reduced damage taken from a single attack or source by 10 + 2 * character level.
    • Inspiration - You can spend a VP to get a hint, clue, or bit of help from the GM. This could be clue toward escaping a deathtrap, evaluating a possible plan, or a clue for understanding a political machination.
    • Instant Counter - You may spend a VP to take an immediate Swift or Immediate Action. This does not count against your action limit.



    Spoiler: Backstory
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    The most important consideration I will use in selecting players is the character's ... character. Story is going to be a big focus here, so I’m looking for exciting characters, not just a pile of mechanics with a name. That being said, I am not requiring an extensive backstory - I find that complications can also tell me quite a bit about a character. Backstories should be as long as you want them to be in order to convey the character.

    The following are some items to consider when crafting backstories and complications. You do not need to address all of them, nor should you feel limited by them. They’re just considerations I find helpful in creating characters and make a decent starting point.
    • What clan does your character come from and what are they like? Are they known for a particular craft? What martial disciplines do they hand down? What is their status?
    • What is your relationship with your clan? Are you the successor (and all the obligation that entails) or a member of a branch family? What (if anything) do they think of your character, and what does your character think of them?
    • What is your character’s highest ambition? If they could have their idyllic life, what would that idyllic life look like?
    • What are the character’s problems? What does the character believe their problems are?
    • Who are the significant people in your character’s life? Do they have friends? Enemies? Allies? A crush? A rival?
    • Who or what (if anything) is your character loyal to?


    Spoiler: Complications
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    I will be using M&M’s Complications system.

    Complications are your character’s personal motivations and issues. Maybe the character has a sibling or loved one that they treasure and will do anything to protect. Maybe the character has a bad reputation and is treated unfairly because of a previous incident. Perhaps the character has been betrothed to someone they detest. Or maybe you have a rival who will take any opportunity to challenge you. These are the sorts of things that form your character’s Complications.

    Choose at minimum 2 Complications. There is no upper limit. During the game, the GM can choose to invoke a character’s Complication and introduce an element to the scene for a character to roleplay around. If the GM invokes a Complication, that character’s player is awarded a Victory Point. Additionally, may choose to award a character a VP when a character does a strong job of roleplaying out one of their character’s Complications. For example, if a character with a personal code of honor sticks to their code in a situation where doing so is clearly not the “smartest” thing to do, the GM may rule that action is worthy of a VP.

    Here is a great list of ideas for Complications. Note that that list is not exhaustive; you are free to invent your own Complications, although the GM is the final arbiter of what is and isn’t appropriate. Some examples of Complications which are particularly appropriate for this setting:

    • Commoner [Prejudice] - The character is comes from a family of commoners. Although the Academy welcomes any kid with the potential to become a martial adept, in practice many noble families look down upon those from a commoner background. This character is likely to face prejudice and mockery for their lowborn origins, and must be careful in their response as offending a powerful noble clan too greatly may lead to retaliation against the character’s clan. The character may also face pressure from their clan as becoming a high ranked adept is one of the sure ways for a clan to gain prominence and improve their status.
    • Bitter Betrothal [Relationship] - The character has been promised to another and one or both of you are not at all pleased with the situation. Perhaps the families agreed to the betrothal for political reasons, perhaps the clan patriarchs go way back, perhaps it was to settle a debt between the families or it is merely a way of one clan taking a hostage from the other. Regardless of why it happened, the situation can cause significant headaches to one or both of you. This can range from disharmony making even simple tasks very difficult despite both characters mostly maintaining decorum to one character acting outright possessive of the other.
    • Obligation [Responsibility] - There is someone to whom you are indebted or for whom you must fulfill some significant duty. The nature of this debt can vary considerably - perhaps you were only accepted to the Academy due to someone’s intervention, or perhaps someone saved your life or the life of someone precious to you, perhaps this person trained you in a School that you would normally be forbidden from, or perhaps your clan are vassals to another clan which provided shelter and protection at a critical time. Regardless, when the debt comes due the character must do their utmost to fulfill it.


    I love Complications because it makes everyone’s experience more enjoyable. As a GM, they provide a trove of of tools for generating and enhancing stories as well as creating drama within a story. As a player, they often make the story more fun as the character needs to roleplay around their issues and dealing with one’s Complications is a great way for a character to have a personal arc within the larger story. The fact that they’re also a source of VP is just a bonus.


    Spoiler: Misc. Houserules
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    • If you have an ability that grants multiple attacks on a charge, any bonuses applying to charges only apply to the first attack.
    • Death occurs when negative HP reaches 10 + 2*character level.
    • Combat will use Block Initiative
    • No fluff restrictions on special materials - if it comes from a source that doesn't fit the setting the fluff can be modified. If the special material comes from a source other than the pre-approved sources then run the material by me.
    • Magic/Psionic/Incarem/ETC transparency is in full effect.
    • If your class lists you as having access to 5 disciplines, you can swap out any number of those disciplines for other disciplines in equal number. You may ignore class-based restrictions. Given the variety of classes and class variants I'm allowing I don't feel any need to honor arbitrary "Warblade Only" type restrictions when the individual who created the discipline only had 3 classes to worry about.
    • If the discipline has a prerequisite that isn't a class-based one (ie, Sublime Tapestry requires knowledge of maneuvers from 6 other disciplines before one can access Sublime Tapestry), it remains in effect but can be reviewed if the prereq is completely arbitrary. Sublime Tapestry is an example of a prereq that I like because the requirement forces a character to master techniques from a variety of schools and plays directly into both the mechanics and lore of the Sublime Tapestry discipline, which is intended as being for adepts seeking to master and unify all the styles. Prereqs like "you must kill a [insert monster] and eat its heart" are arbitrary and the kind of thing I'm open to ignoring.
    • Key ability scores on disciplines have always struck me as annoying and using a class-based key ability score is the better system. If you have a key ability score from a class, use that for any schools gained by that class.
    • As long as the body slot affinity is compatible I'm ok with changing an item to an item of a different slot. Just note the original item for any such item that you're slot-swapping on your sheet.
    • PF magic items are not approved. I expect a lot of transparency between PF and 3.5 magic items, but I'm not sufficiently familiar with them that I want to blanket-ok them. I will review individual items if you provide a link.
    • Anyone with a crafting feat is spotted 50xp for crafting items before the game. You must pay/meet all other requirements. Any unused xp from this pool is lost at the game's start. After the game starts, crafting during interludes between adventures will be handled by downtime actions, which will abstract the process.
    • New Item: Ring of Holding.
      This ring is commonly used throughout White Cloud City. The ring connects to an extradimensional storage space that can contain as much as 3 cubic feet or 50lbs of material. Even when filled, the ring's weight does not change. The ring can transport any object held in the hand that fits within its remaining storage capacity as a move action. The user can likewise retrieve any specific item stored within the ring as a move action. Any retrieved item automatically appears in the user's hand. Storing or retrieving an object provokes attacks of opportunity. If the ring is ever destroyed, all items stored within the ring are spilled out in a disorganized pile.
      CL 3; Rope Trick. Price: 400gp. - lbs.


    Spoiler: Pacing / Activity
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    My general stance for advancing the round handling PCs that haven't posted is to NPC them. In doing so, I will play them tactically conservatively - that means not taking risks in positioning and expending no nonrenewable resources. In the context of a martial game, that means I will use maneuvers but I will not expend consumables or resources with a daily limit (like ki pools or abilities with an x/day limit), even when it would be tactically advantageous to do so. I will avoid dangerous or risky positions (such as provoking AoO), even if there may be a tactical advantage in doing so. If any player would like me to follow a different set of rules when NPC'ing their character, feel free to say so and I'll honor any directives you would like.

    I will always give at least 1 day's notice before I advance a combat round where PCs haven't posted. I don't stick to an exact schedule in how long I'll wait on a round, but you can generally expect that I will advance a round around 1 week after the round started.

    Last edited by Dorni; 2023-09-03 at 09:44 AM.
    With your every step, these grand adventures shall grow more distant and faint. And there may come a day when you forget the faces and voices of those you have met along the way. On that day, I bid you remember this... That no matter how far your journey may take you, you stand where you stand by virtue of the road you walked to get there.

  2. - Top - End - #2
    Ogre in the Playground
     
    Dorni's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jul 2005

    Default Re: White Cloud City OOC

    Status Tracker:

    Map

    0 Floating VP

    All: +1 Sacred bonus to saves vs fear, enchantment effects, STR checks, and attack and dmg rolls

    Tsugiharu: fine
    Keiji: fine, 0/54 damage
    Kotetsu: fine
    Shiori: 19/78 damage

    Scorpion 1: 71 damage, Pinned w/Keiji Dead
    Scorpion 2: 70 damage, takes +3d6 damage (1 round, harmony-shattering strike) Dead
    Scorpion 3: 96 dmg Dead (WP)

    Venom Sacs: 4 normal, 3 pristine

    Maneuver Quick Reference

    Spoiler: Tsugiharu
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    Spoiler: Stances
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    Body of the Night
    Discipline: Steel Serpent (Stance) 1
    Initiation Action: 1 swift action
    Range: Personal
    Target: You
    Duration: Stance
    Description: A wielder of the secrets of Steel Serpent knows his body and how to use it effectively in the art of stealth. By learning to manipulate his ki flows to obscure his movements from sight and hearing, using his body- control to mask the signs of his passage. The disciple may add his ranks in the Heal skill to his ranks in the Stealth skill when making a Stealth check while in this stance as a competence bonus. While in this stance, when making an attack against a flat-footed opponent or one that has been denied its Dexterity bonus to AC, the disciple gains a +4 competence bonus to attack rolls and inflicts an additional 1d6 points of damage. This is a supernatural ability.

    Leaping Spirit Dance
    Discipline: Veiled Moon (Stance); Level: 1
    Initiation Action: 1 swift action
    Range: Personal
    Target: You
    Duration: Stance
    Description: Light as a feather, the Veiled Moon disciple moves gracefully in combat, with the smooth and practiced grace of an incorporeal being. The disciple gains a +2 dodge bonus to AC and a +2 competence bonus to Reflex saves while in this stance so long as he moves at least 10 feet on his turn each round. This bonus increases by +2 at initiator level 9, and by an additional +2 at initiator level 17.

    Spoiler: Maneuvers
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    Dimensional Strike
    Discipline: Veiled Moon (Strike); Level: 1
    Initiation Action: 1 standard action
    Range: Melee or ranged attack
    Target: One creature
    Duration: Instant
    Description: By shifting slightly between two worlds, the disciple confuses the senses of his foe so he may land his attack more easily. The initiator initiating this strike causes his foe to be flat-footed to this attack.

    Disarming Shot
    Discipline: Tempest Gale (Strike); Level: 1
    Initiation Action: 1 standard action
    Range: Ranged attack
    Target: One creature
    Duration: Instant
    Description: Your careful training allows you to fire shots from an unexpected angle and strike opponents where they least expect it, their weapons. Make a ranged attack. If it hits, it deals weapon damage as normal, and you can make a disarm attempt against the target as a free action, using a Sleight of Hand check in place of your combat maneuver check. This disarm attempt does not provoke an attack of opportunity.

    Disturbing Blow
    Discipline: Veiled Moon (Strike) [mind-affecting]; Level: 1
    Initiation Action: 1 standard action
    Range: Melee attack
    Target: One creature
    Duration: Special
    Description: By establishing counter-resonance within the spirit of an enemy with a well-placed blow, the disciple may disrupt and disturb its next action. The initiator must make a melee attack against a target creature, and if successful, cause the target to suffer a -4 penalty to the next d20 roll that he makes.

    Dizzying Venom Prana
    Discipline: Steel Serpent (Boost); Level: 1
    Initiation Action: 1 swift action
    Range: Next melee attack or ranged attack
    Target: One creature
    Duration: Instant
    Saving Throw: Fort negates
    Description: By focusing his ki onto a weapon, the disciple readies a spiritual poison which dizzies and confuses the minds of his foes. After initiating this boost, the next melee or ranged attack that the disciple makes staggers his foe for 1 round. In addition, if the target fails a Fortitude save (DC 11 + initiation modifier), the target also suffers 2 points of Wisdom damage. This is a supernatural ability.

    Hunting Serpent Blow
    Discipline: Steel Serpent (Strike); Level: 1
    Initiation Action: 1 standard action
    Range: Melee attack
    Target: One creature
    Duration: Instant
    Description: The disciple hunts his foe through the emulation of a hunting serpent, obfuscating his true attack until the moment he strikes. The disciple makes a Heal check with a difficulty equal to his opponent’s armor class. If this check is successful, then the target is made flat-footed and the disciple may make a melee attack against him, inflicting an additional 1d6 points of damage if successful. If this Heal check fails, then his opponent sees through this ruse, and the disciple makes his melee attack with a -2 penalty as the enemy is anticipating his attack.

    Offensive Roll
    Discipline: Thrashing Dragon (Strike); Level: 1
    Initiation Action: 1 full-round action
    Range: Melee attack
    Target: One creature
    Duration: Instant
    Description: As the disciple moves by his opponent, he may drop into a tumbling roll and strike at it from a surprising angle. The initiator must move at least 10 ft. alongside an enemy (which provokes attacks of opportunity unless the initiator is using Acrobatics to tumble) and make an Acrobatics check with a DC equal to the target’s Armor Class. If successful, the target is considered flat-footed and the strike inflicts an additional 1d6 points of damage. The character initiating this maneuver may move up to his full base speed, making the attack along any point of the moment.

    Sting of the Asp
    Discipline: Steel Serpent (Strike); Level: 2
    Initiation Action: 1 standard action
    Range: Melee attack or ranged attack
    Target: One creature
    Duration: Instant
    Description: Through the use of this maneuver, the disciple readies a weakening dose of ki energy with his weapon’s strike to sap his foe of its power. The disciple makes an attack against a target; if successful the strike inflicts an additional 1d6 points of damage and 2 points of Strength damage (Fortitude save DC 12 + initiation modifier; success halves this Strength damage). On the round following a failed save, the corrupted ki energies inflict an additional 1d6 points of damage and 2 additional points of Strength damage. This is a supernatural ability.

    Sting of the Rattler
    Discipline: Steel Serpent (Strike); Level: 1
    Initiation Action: 1 standard action
    Range: Melee attack or ranged attack
    Target: One creature
    Duration: Instant
    Description: Disciples of Steel Serpent learn to emulate the swift and powerful strikes of the serpent kingdom and leave lasting wounds through the power of their ki. By focusing this harmful energy into a single attack, the disciple may cause more grievous injuries than his opponent would register immediately. The disciple makes an attack and if successful, inflicts an additional 1d4 points of damage. The following round on the disciple’s turn, the enemy takes an additional 1d4 points of damage due to the venomous ki that has built up in the wound. This is a supernatural ability.



    Spoiler: Kotetsu
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    Spoiler: Stances
    Show
    Iaigoshi
    Discipline: Lightless Divine Wind (Stance); Level: 1
    Initiation Action: 1 swift action
    Range: Personal
    Target: You
    Duration: Stance
    Description: Dropping in to a crouching stance, you are ready to draw your weapon at a moments notice. You are treated as though you have the Quick Draw feat.

    Phantasmal Blade Stance
    Discipline: Lightless Divine Wind (Stance); Level: 1
    Initiation Action: 1 swift action
    Range: Personal
    Target: You
    Duration: Stance
    Description: You watch and wait for when the opponent is off guard, for that is when you strike. While in this stance, you gain an additional +1d6 skirmish damage.

    Spoiler: Maneuvers
    Show
    Aerial Leap
    Discipline: Leaping Gale (Boost); Level: 1
    Initiation Action: 1 swift action
    Range: Personal
    Target: You
    Duration: Instant
    Description: When you initiate this boost, make a Jump check and move the distance indicated by the Jump check, as either a long or high jump. You need not take a move action to move this distance, nor need you wait if it exceeds your speed. This movement provokes attacks of opportunity, although you may negate those with a successful Tumble check. You cannot move through enemies without a Tumble check.

    You may initiate this boost while in the air (such as in the middle of another jump); such is always considered a standing jump, even if you have abilities to always have a running start, such as the Transcend Weight stance. This maneuver is a supernatural ability if used while airborne.

    Crawling Ivy Strike
    Discipline: Dancing Leaf (Strike); Level: 1
    Initiation Action: 1 standard action
    Range: Melee attack
    Target: One creature
    Duration: 1 Round
    Description: With a quick, unexpected attack, you throw a foe off his guard, allowing you to dodge his blows with ease. As part of this maneuver, you make a single melee attack against an opponent. If the attack is successful, then you gain a +2 dodge bonus to AC against any melee attack that opponent makes for 1 round.

    Crimson Mirage
    Discipline: Lightless Divine Wind (Boost); Level: 2
    Initiation Action: 1 swift action
    Range: Melee
    Target: One creature
    Duration: Until End of turn
    Description: Using your fierce killing intent, you trick your opponent into reacting to an attack that isn't there. Make a feint attempt against a single foe as a swift action. If successful, you may treat the target as flat-footed until the end of your turn.

    Lesser Divine Wind Strike
    Discipline: Lightless Divine Wind (Strike); Level: 1
    Initiation Action: 1 standard action
    Range: Melee attack
    Target: One creature
    Duration: Instant
    Description: The basic attack of this discipline, the adepts practice it daily. You draw, strike, and sheath in one swift motion, catching your opponent off guard. If your opponent is flat-footed, or otherwise denied their dexterity bonus to their AC, you gain an additional +1d6 damage on this attack.

    Mizuchi
    Discipline: Lightless Divine Wind (Boost); Level: 1
    Initiation Action: 1 swift action
    Range: Melee attack
    Target: One creature
    Duration: Instant
    Description: You strike with inhuman speed. You may make a single normal attack as a swift action with this maneuver.

    Swift Stride
    Discipline: Leaping Gale (Boost); Level: 1
    Initiation Action: 1 swift action
    Range: Personal
    Target: You
    Duration: End of Turn
    Description: You gain +10 feet to your base land or fly speeds as an enhancement bonus. This provides the normal bonus on Jump checks.


    Spoiler: Shiori
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    Spoiler: Stances
    Show
    Unbroken Stride
    Discipline: Sleeping Goddess (Stance); Level: 1
    Initiation Action: 1 swift action
    Range: Personal
    Target: You
    Duration: Stance
    Description: With careful steps and focused psionic power, you can slightly shift how you interact with the world, moving over liquids as if they were solid, sprinting along walls, and even walking through the air. While you maintain this stance, you can walk and stand on liquids and other unfirm surfaces as if they were solid ground. You can move at your normal speed, but you cannot run on such a surface. This stance does not protect you from any negative effects that the surface might carry, such as the heat of lava or the stickiness of a spider’s web. At initiator level 5th, you gain the ability to move along walls and ceilings as if under the effect of a spider climb spell while you maintain this stance, except that you do not need to use your hands to climb and can fight normally. At initiator level 10th, you can walk through the air as if it were solid ground, gaining a fly speed equal to your land speed with good maneuverability while you maintain this stance. However, while flying in such a way, you cannot hover. At initiator level 15th, your maneuverability when flying in this way increases to perfect, and you can even stand still in midair, hovering as normal.

    Unnatural Presence
    Discipline: Far Realm (Stance); Level: 1
    Initiation Action: 1 swift action
    Range: Personal
    Target: You
    Duration: Stance
    Description: There is something subtly wrong with the way you move, the way you talk, the way your footsteps seem to come a half-second before or after your feet touch the ground. This strange aura helps steel your allies against attack, but leaches their will over time.

    While you are in this stance, all allies adjacent to you get a +2 morale bonus to their armor class, but suffer a -1 penalty to will saving throws. This stance is a supernatural ability.

    Spoiler: Maneuvers
    Show
    Body of Delusion
    Discipline: Sleeping Goddess (Counter); Level: 1
    Initiation Action: 1 immediate action
    Range: Personal or 60'
    Target: You or one ally
    Duration: Instant
    Description: The most basic tenet of the Sleeping Goddess discipline is that a strong enough belief, channeled through the lens of psionic power, can do anything. With this technique, you momentarily enter a state of denial, asserting through your power that you are not and will not be harmed. You can initiate this counter when you take damage from a melee or ranged attack. Make an Autohypnosis check, using your opponent’s attack roll as the DC. If you succeed, you take only half damage from the attack, although any other effects of the attack are resolved normally.
    Augment: You can augment this maneuver in one or more of the following ways:
    • For every power point you spend, you gain a +1 bonus on your Autohypnosis check.
    • If you spend 3 power points, you take no damage from the attack on a successful Autohypnosis check, rather than half.
    • If you spend 5 power points, you are completely unaffected by the attack on a successful Autohypnosis check, taking no damage and ignoring any additional effects of the attack.
    • If you expend your psionic focus while initiating this counter, you can use it in response to an attack damaging an ally within 60 feet. If you do, make an Autohypnosis check as normal, then apply the effects of this counter to that ally rather than yourself.

    Devouring Mirage
    Discipline: Infinite Shore (Strike); Level: 1
    Initiation Action: 1 standard action
    Range: Melee attack
    Target: One creature
    Duration: Instant
    Description: You siphon off a bit of your enemy's psyche, devouring it to bolster your own form. As part of this maneuver, make a melee attack. If it hits, you gain 1d6+1/initiator level temporary hit points.

    Drowned Aggression
    Discipline: Infinite Shore (Counter)[mind-affecting]; Level: 1
    Initiation Action: 1 immediate action
    Range: Personal
    Target: You
    Duration: Instant
    Description: A brief flicker of dream disrupts your opponent and spoils his aims. You may initiate this maneuver when you are targeted by an attack. Your attacker takes a -4 on his attack roll.

    Fear the Reaper
    Discipline: Eternal Buardian (Counter)[fear]; Level: 2
    Initiation Action: 1 immediate action
    Range: 60'
    Target: One ally
    Duration: Instant
    Description: You have learned to use the fear you create as a method of defense for both yourself and your allies. You can initiate this counter in response to a melee or ranged attack being made against an ally (including you) within 60 feet. Make an Intimidate check, using your opponent’s attack roll as the DC. If you succeed, the attack is negated, and the attacker becomes shaken for one round, as if you had demoralized them with the Intimidate check.

    Guard's Oath
    Discipline: Eternal Guardian (Strike)[curse]; Level: 1
    Initiation Action: 1 standard action
    Range: Melee attack
    Target: One creature
    Duration: Instant
    Description: A central concept of the discipline of the Eternal Guardian is the ability to restrict an opponent’s movement—prevent their escape or halting their advance. Your basic but potent strike allows you to harry and disrupt a foe until they lay down their arms. Make a melee attack. If it hits, it deals weapon damage as normal, and the target must succeed at a Will save (DC 11 + your initiation modifier) or become cursed and unable to move within your threatened area (including with 5-foot steps and using the Withdraw action) without provoking an attack of opportunity from you for 24 hours. If the target drops all weapons it is holding, it can make another saving throw to end this effect. An affected target that is not holding a weapon can draw or pick up a weapon, then drop it to gain a new saving throw, but can never gain more than one save per round against this curse.

    Harmony-shattering Strike
    Discipline: Sleeping Goddess (Strike); Level: 1
    Initiation Action: 1 standard action
    Range: Melee attack
    Target: One creature
    Duration: Instant
    Description: You strike at both your enemy’s body and his spirit, creating a destructive link between them and your allies. Make an attack. If it hits, it deals weapon damage as normal, and the target must succeed at a Will save (DC 11 + your initiation modifier) or for one round, any attacks from your allies against the target deal an additional 1d6 points of damage. Augment: You can augment this maneuver in one or more of the following ways:
    • For every 2 power points you spend, the additional damage your allies deal to the target increases by 1d6.
    • If you expend your psionic focus while initiating this strike, your target does not get a saving throw against it.

    Vicious Energy
    Discipline: Far Realm (Boost); Level: 1
    Initiation Action: 1 swift action
    Range: Personal
    Target: You
    Duration: End of Turn
    Description: A hissing, sparkling energy colors your flail, dancing out from the tip, and back to your hand. Your face is a rictus of pain and triumph as it arcs out at your enemies.

    You channel energy from the Far Realm into your weapon. With every strike, it damages your opponent, but also recoils back at you. Until the end of your turn, your weapon gains the vicious quality. If it already has the vicious quality, it deals 4d6 damage. This maneuver is a supernatural ability.



    Other Rules Quick Reference

    Spoiler: Jumping Tree to Tree
    Show
    The forest floor is as described on the map. At 20ft elevation one enters the forest Understory. In the understory, each tree has thick branches coming off the sides that can support a person's weight. These branches are assumed to cover all squares within 10ft of a tree's trunk (I'm not going to draw individual branches). Balancing on these branches requires making a DC 12 Acrobatics check at the start of your turn each round (or upon entering the Understory). You do not need to make a check for every branch or tree you balance on.

    By default you move at half speed while balancing in the Understory. You may take the normal -5 penalty to move at full speed.

    By default, you are Flat-footed when balancing. If you have 5 or more ranks in Acrobatics you are not flat-footed.

    If your check is successful, you may move freely within the Understory as long as the square you move through is within 10ft of a tree trunk. You may make an Athletics check to jump from one tree to another if their branches do not overlap.

    While you are in the Understory, you ignore any movement penalties for heavy vegetation on the forest floor.

    Descriptions of movement in fluff need not completely match the distance calculation on the battle map as long as they don't provide a mechanical difference. In fluff you are assumed to be jumping from branch to branch to get to your destination.

    You may leave the Understudy by hopping off your branch and dropping back to the forest floor at any time. Movement spent moving directly down is doubled. If you make an attack immediately upon landing, you may treat that attack as a Charge or Dive
    Last edited by Dorni; 2023-09-06 at 06:11 PM.
    With your every step, these grand adventures shall grow more distant and faint. And there may come a day when you forget the faces and voices of those you have met along the way. On that day, I bid you remember this... That no matter how far your journey may take you, you stand where you stand by virtue of the road you walked to get there.

  3. - Top - End - #3
    Ogre in the Playground
     
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    Jul 2005

    Default Re: White Cloud City OOC

    Setting Notes

    Spoiler: Game Pitch
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    Nestled amid the mountains lies White Cloud City. Fortified by mountain defenses and brimming with martial adepts, White Cloud City stands as a beacon in a harsh world. Ruled over by a City Lord supported by the 5 Great Clans, the city is the great center of humanity. But not all is well in White Cloud City.

    Some clans have origins dating back to the city’s founding while others were welcomed in over the city’s thousand year history, each with their own influences and martial Disciplines that blend together in the great tapestry of the city. The many clans get along, well, like an extended family. They coexist in a complex web of alliances, rivalries and hostilities that simmer beneath the surface. But however bitter the rivalries become, they rarely escalate to open bloodshed and war in the streets. After all, everyone knows that a conflict that spiraled out of control would make the city easy prey for the beasts that lay in wait outside the walls.

    The Demon Beasts (some call them Magic Beasts - its the same thing) dominate the land. They hunt and destroy humanity without mercy, and the world is littered with the ruins of kingdoms that were destroyed by bestial hordes. While wonders and treasures await for those willing to undertake perilous journeys, travel is nonetheless extremely dangerous. While there are about a dozen settlements and some clans exist outside of White Cloud City, they mostly serve as farming communities or otherwise supply the city proper. In times of trouble they often shelter behind the city's walls. White Cloud City only rarely receives outlanders anymore and largely regards tales of other kingdoms as stories. Numerous times in White Cloud City’s history have the demon beasts gathered into a horde under a particularly powerful monster and assaulted the city itself - and its only thanks to the courage of the city’s martial adepts have they been repelled.

    And so it remains vital to the city to always raise the next generation of warriors, as not everyone has the inborn spark that allows them to become a martial adept. While many of the clans protect and hand down their own Disciplines and Maneuvers, any young person with with the talent passes through the walls of Phoenix Academy. Boy or girl, noble or lowborn, every young adept is vital to ensure White Cloud City’s future.

    Phoenix Academy is so dedicated to its charge of raising the next generations that upon entering the Academy students go by an assumed name in order to emphasize that while you are in the academy everyone is a student on equal footing regardless of their background. This system is imperfect - after all, it’s easy enough for someone to make their real identity clear if they want to and some students of noble lineage don’t hesitate to let you know they’re from a powerful family - but it is generally respected. This system results in many unusual friendships and interactions that have done almost as much as the city’s walls to keep the city together.

    Our story starts in Phoenix Academy with the new incoming class. Your character is a new student. You’re also a teenager. Age is variable - while children can be trained in martial arts, mastering martial maneuvers requires a degree of self-awareness and enlightenment. Children change and grow so fast that they lack that stable sense of self, so training as an adept usually begins as a teen.

    So. You’re a new student. Who are you?


    Spoiler: The Academy / Names
    Show
    • Assumed names are intended as actual names rather than callsigns. The main requirement is that the name obscure the student's origin, ie John Targaryen becoming John Snow. Whether you want to change the student's first name in their assumed name is up to you. If you want to back-door in a callsign into your name by picking a name that works as a normal name but has a double meaning, I won't stop you.
    • There are two surnames that are used in connection to the school - Asako and Shiba. Asako refers to the student body, so anyone claiming to belong to the Asako clan is understood to be a current or former student of Phoenix Academy. Shiba refers to the faculty and anyone claiming that clan is likewise understood to be a faculty member.
    • Default in the setting is for names to use the eastern format where clan name is first followed by individual name (who would literally put themselves before their clan?). This convention isn't required though.
    • You will want to come up with the character's true name as well. The characters start out in the academy, but you will graduate from it during the campaign. Your character may also choose to share it prior to that.
    • The students get to pick their own names. If they don't then one will be assigned to them. The degree of family or outside influences on the student in picking a name is up to you. The Academy has to accept the name and exercises a veto which they mainly use to make sure the name is respectable and to stop that one rebel kid from demanding to be known as "King Explosion Murder".

    Spoiler: More on Assumed Names
    Show
    First, the assumed name is only used in the academy. You're free to use your normal name at home or otherwise outside of a school context. When you graduate, you can freely leave the name behind. However, the degree to which most people discard their academy name varies from person to person. Most people hold on to the name as a sort of nickname among friends, so it isn't uncommon for adults to invoke friendships from their academy days by using or referencing their academy names.

    They can also function as a sort of second identity. For instance, I am Tamori Ryuchi and my clan has a feud going with another clan. I have a friend or contact in that clan (or clan allied with them), but they won't meet with me because our clans are supposed to be at war with each other. However, if I reach out to that person under my name from the academy, Asako Ryuchi, then that person isn't entertaining Tamori Ryuchi the person with whom their clan has a blood feud, they're meeting their friend from the academy, Asako Ryuchi. As long as our discussion doesn't step outside the roles we're in it doesn't matter that I'm the same person - its a polite fiction that it is honorable for people to respect. Likewise, if such a meeting were to occur and a member of the clan I have feud with showed up and attacked me, they're openly insulting the individual who agreed to meet with Asako Ryuchi and by extension that individual's clan's honor since it was a member of that clan which agreed to the meeting and the promise of safety implicit in that agreement. This can result in the wonderfully delicious situation in which an individual can legitimately feel obligated to draw their weapon and protect their clan's enemy from their own clansman in order to defend the clan's honor.

    The fact that it is a tradition itself also has some force. If you discard your assumed name and broadcast your real identity, or start publicizing someone else's real identity, then you are violating the academy's tradition and technically offering them an insult by doing so. The consequences of which will vary depending upon the situation. Additionally, since everyone knows this is the tradition, seeing another student violate that tradition on academy grounds would be seen in the same light as seeing another student breaking the rules.

    Of course, all of this varies by whether the individuals in question behave honorably or if they can't spit on the concept of honor fast enough.

    Now, in terms of pure utility, its both a very good disguise and a paper thin one. Remember that any given student doesn't know if another student has changed their entire name or just their surname, so you can't really be sure how much of any student's name is actually real. On the other hand, if you know the individual prior to meeting them at the academy then of course you would still recognize the person. Also, anyone willing to really dig into it can probably discover an individual's real name, particularly if they track the person down outside the academy. But again, it comes back to a question of what they do with that information once they have it.

    People in this setting will always have two names - their own and their clan's. If the person has only one name, its understood to mean that the person has no clan, whether by exile or abandonment or other means.



    Spoiler: General Lore
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    • Something for perspective is that everything I wrote in the main thread is true generally, but not necessarily true in every specific instance. My intention is to give everyone a large amount of latitude in creating their character concepts and inventing plot elements within the city and seeing what everyone comes up with. If your concept calls for a specific race/monster/uncommon practice to be present in the setting, I'm willing to hear it out and figure out how it can be neatly integrated.
    • The 5 Great Clans are not the only clans in the city. Far from it. There are many, many clans in the city from "regular" noble clans to minor noble clans, noble-in-name-only clans, and plenty of commoner clans. There are a handful of organizations that cut across clans, like the Alchemist Guild and Inscription Consortium. And of course, being cast out of your clan for [reasons] is also possible. The players are allowed and encouraged to invent whatever they need to for their backstories.
    • The exclusiveness of Disciplines varies. Some disciplines will be more commonly known and not considered secret and you can expect to see them be disciplines a lot of adepts dip into. There are others that are more secretive or restricted to a particular clan - it varies by the discipline lore, and I'm deliberately not specifying which is which right now so PCs can invent discipline lore as they need to. If two PCs pick the same discipline with contradictory lore, we'll explain that between selection and game start.
    • White Cloud City itself has a bit of a wuxia kitchen sink feel. The predominant culture is japanese-influenced, but the threat of the Demon Beasts means it has welcomed refugees from a variety of now-fallen cities and countries over its history, so if you want to create, say, a nordic conclave within the city (or just use an english name) I'm on board with it. As long as that clan or set of clans abides by the city's laws and helps defend the city they'll be welcomed.
    • Regarding languages, Common is really the big language. Elven, Dwarven, etc are treated much like ancient languages from dead empires and may see such use if you explore ruins from such a civilization. Some languages may prove useful for communicating with the few monsters that are capable of speech. Its also possible your clan has developed a specific sub-language like Theives' Cant.
    • There is a distinction between a martial adept and a well-trained fighter, as there is an inborn quality that is necessary in order to become a martial adept. Some adepts call it ki, others call it animus, for others its soul power, willpower, the accursed will or more. Scholars fight over whether these are in fact the same thing and adepts are just awful communicators, whether they're in fact separate power sources, or whether they're all facets of a single greater whole that isn't fully understood. In common usage, most people are content to call the person with that quality an adept.
    • Non-martial-adepts may learn maneuvers, but mastering even a handful requires incredible effort (ie, feats) which greatly limits how far they can advance down the martial path. That doesn't mean they can't potentially still become well trained and effective fighters, but it is quite rare for such individuals to be able to match a comparably trained adept.
    • The specific details of an inter-clan marriages are worked out when the marriage is agreed to, but typically they are as follows. One partner in the marriage will leave their clan and join the other clan. The clan who is losing the member receives a financial or otherwise valuable gift(s) from the clan receiving the new person. The higher status the person who is leaving the clan the greater the gift that is received. Lavish giving can also be a way for clan to demonstrate their clan's capability, especially among noble families. After the marriage the one who left their clan and any children from the marriage are members of the clan they joined. Although the spouse is no longer part of their old clan, the bonds with their old clan are rarely severed completely and visitation is allowed.


    Spoiler: Power Scale of White Cloud City
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    Here's a rough scale:
    level 1-3: typical student/apprentice/noncombatant
    5: typical guard / rookie warrior / veteran craftsman
    7: Experienced warrior / skilled craftsman
    9: Expert warrior / master craftsman
    11: Elder / Master warrior
    13: Most powerful masters in the city
    14+: Warriors of legend


    Spoiler: Demon Beasts
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    Without getting to exact mechanics, the demon beasts tend to be more bestial than humanoid. They often similar to wildlife like bears / apes / snakes / etc, but bigger, stronger, faster, and with features like armored hides, breath attacks, or other assorted magical abilities. While animistic beasts are the most common, there are no shortage of demon beasts that come from what we consider the more mythical creatures like hydra, lycantropes and manticore, with more powerful beasts like dragons and phoenixes being (thankfully) more rare. Humanoid monsters exist as well, but don't expect to find monster civilizations. Undead exist but are uncommon and are usually spawned from unnatural origin like a person (or beast) dying near a source of dark energy. More powerful undead may act intelligently, but never retain anything humanity would call intelligence.

    Demon beasts are not universally hostile. To be clear, many are and regard humanity as little more than one more source of food, and roaming predators especially cause the city and its outlying villages no end of headaches. Other demon-beasts will establish a territory and while they will attack anyone who enters it, they will keep to their own territory if left alone. There other beasts, especially those that share characteristics with more "natural" creatures like dryads or spirits are largely neutral towards humanity. It is possible to establish rudimentary communication with some of these creatures and to hold a conversation with the oldest and most powerful of them, but such creatures almost never leave the places they call home.

    Demon beasts, as expected, start young and grow more powerful as they age. However, demon beasts don't seem to die of old age, instead growing continually and becoming increasingly more powerful as they do. Demon beasts also have the capacity to learn, so as they survive longer they become increasingly effective fighters and hunters. Those that live to become ancient beasts become terrifyingly cunning in addition to their terrifying power. As you might expect, a demon beast's soul gem grows larger and more powerful (and more valuable) the older and more powerful the beast.

    Now, occasionally a demon beast can evolve. This is a rare occurrence that happens when a sufficiently powerful beast comes into contact with a sufficiently powerful source of natural energy. The energy overflows and transforms the beast into something... different. The exact result depends entirely on the beast and the energy source, as the latter usually influences the changes to the former.

    Now, there is the occasion where a demon beast can evolve to a state where it becomes fully sentient. You would think this would be great because then White Cloud City can communicate with the beasts and come to an understanding. You would be wrong, and you would be far from the first casualty statistic who got the idea to try. You remember those bestial hordes that gather hundreds or thousands of beasts and lay waste to cities and toppled empires? Those are what happens when an ancient beast develops sentience. They have the raw power to compel other beasts to follow them, the intelligence to gather and lead the horde, and very much retain their inherent hostility to humanity.

    It is possible that if a demon beast were captured at a young enough age that it could be tamed and raised. It is rare, but it is possible. Keeping them tame requires forming a bond with the beast while it is very young and keeping that bond strong by raising the beast and giving it regular attention. If the owner dies the beast often reacts poorly, refuses another partner, and/or becomes hostile. The bonding requirement makes selling beasts a nearly impossible business model, and White Cloud City has never succeeded at domesticating demon beasts at any meaningful scale, especially not the more aggressive and carnivorous varieties.

    While especially big demon beast hordes have breached the walls several times during the city's history and done incredible damage, the city has always pulled through. Fortunately, that kind of disaster is very rare and the walls are not under attack 24/7.

    White Cloud City regularly sends out a constant stream of hunting parties that cull demon beasts around the city and nearby villages, both to keep the beasts at bay and to harvest their soul gems. These hunting parties can be all from the same clan or be a mixed clan group, and fielding warriors to this duty is a way for a clan to gain respect. The Guard will do this duty as well, but they don't have the numbers to garrison the walls, police the city, and carry out this duty at the same time on their own, so in practice the clans field a sizable percentage of the hunting parties. It helps that those hunting parties are allowed to keep most of the soul gems they collect.

    Demon beasts harass the farming villages more than the city proper, but occasionally a particularly powerful beast or a pack of beasts will get close enough to test the walls. Demon beasts that move in herds are the most dangerous in this regard as they can move in sizable herds (although much less in size than a horde). Those events are dangerous and can result in casualties, but usually the city is well equipped to handle it.

    Demon attacks inside the city are a rarity. They're almost always the result of a beast that either burrowed in (again, rare) or a beast someone let inside the city going berserk. This latter one is also rare, as its generally accepted to put down a tamed demon beast when its master dies, both due to the bond between them so they can be laid to rest together and because the beast often will not take to another master.


    Spoiler: Becoming a Martial Adept
    Show
    In families where both parents are adepts its the norm for the children to also be adepts. The odds of a child being an adept drop the fewer adepts are present in the family tree and the further back they are, but it isn't a fully genetic trait. Its somewhere between nature and nurture. It follows genetic lines, but there's also an element of randomness to it (which is why you see commoners without adepts in their family develop it or nobles have disappointing children who don't). Also, its been observed that a child from a family without adepts in it who is trained from a young age by an adept has an elevated chance to become one themselves (this chance is still nothing like a reliable one, but the percentile bump is real)

    One could argue that White Cloud City's own culture is either helping or sabotaging it. Becoming a martial adept brings with it a rise in status. Marriages are often between individuals of more-or-less similar status, which means that martial adepts tend to marry other martial adepts, which means that the martial adept trait appears most strongly in high-status lines and tends to get centralized within that population.

    One could argue that this means there are fewer adepts born than would be if the city were more liberal with their marriages as the trait would be spread around further.

    One could argue back that the number of non-adepts still greatly outnumbers the number of adepts, so if the populations aggressively mixed the city would actually breed the trait out of existence.

    One could also argue that this whole situation reinforces existing status differences in the city and/or contributes to class problems / inequality.

    One could also wonder if putting all martial adepts in a boarding school as teens was a deliberate choice by the city's founders. The world may never know.


    Spoiler: Great Clans / Politics
    Show
    • I have not elaborated on the 5 Great Clans. I have ideas for them, but I also want the players to have a role in crafting this city and their character's stories so I've held off on describing them so far. Applicants are welcome to make a character that hails from one of the 5 Great Clans and invent lore for their clan, but you may not be of the ruling clan (ie, City Lord's clan).
    • The Great Clans have fluctuated over time. At times in White Cloud City's history there have been 6, 7, or 4 Great Clans as the various clans rise and fall in prominence. That said, the Great Clans do not change very often - as to be expected of powerful organizations with incentive to maintain their status. I imagine that 3 of the current 5 Great Clans have been Great Clans more-or-less since the city's founding, 1 Great Clan having achieved that status a 100-200 years ago (so they earned the status but did so awhile ago) and 1 Great Clan that gained recognition as a Great Clan ~20 years ago, so they're still super new and have a chip on their shoulder since they don't have the amount of history or get quite as much respect as the other Great Clans.
    • The city's rulership has also passed between the Great Clans over years, but it does not do so lightly. Usually it happens when a Great Clan doesn't have an obvious heir who is ready to lead (White Cloud City will not put itself through having a 4-year-old City Lord), or the current City Lord has so badly misbehaved / mishandled his office that the other Clans decide it is worth it to oust him and pass the rulership to someone else. This isn't a decision they make lightly, but the threat of the demon beasts means the city can't tolerate an incompetent and the clans have too much pride to be abused by a tyrant. Being allied with the tyrants on the other hand... those have been some dark eras.
    • There is a City Guard which as an organization is independent of any clan, but they take orders from the City Lord so the City Lord's clan is often thought of as having the forces of 2 Great Clans (once for themselves, once for the "unaffiliated" forces they control). In times of danger though, the City Lord will call upon the other clans to provide aid and it is expected that those clans do so (although they fight under their own banners when they do so). As for enforcibility... after an attack is over, lets just say its a really, really terrible idea to be known as the clan that ignored the call to defend the city from attack. Especially when all those other clans just lost clansmen in the fight while you sat back and contributed nothing.
    Last edited by Dorni; 2019-04-15 at 08:02 PM.
    With your every step, these grand adventures shall grow more distant and faint. And there may come a day when you forget the faces and voices of those you have met along the way. On that day, I bid you remember this... That no matter how far your journey may take you, you stand where you stand by virtue of the road you walked to get there.

  4. - Top - End - #4
    Ogre in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: White Cloud City OOC

    Spoiler: Downtime Action Rules
    Show
    Between episodes, each PC has the opportunity to take Downtime Actions. These Downtime Actions are intended to represent that the PCs life doesn't just stop between adventures and they will continue to make advancements towards their long-term goals.

    Downtime actions will generally require some sort of check, depending on what you are trying to achieve. The GM will select a target DC and required number of Successes based on what the player is trying to accomplish. If the player passes the check, they will be awarded 1 Success towards accomplishing the goal. For each 5 points by which the check result exceeds the target DC, the player will earn an additional success.

    All Downtime Actions are divided into two types: Training and Social. A player can expect to recieve 2-4 Downtime actions of each type each adventure.

    Training actions encompass a character's personal growth, whether it be by academy instruction, personal training, or seeking out others to learn skills. They often have tangible mechanical benefits, such as Feat Retraining. These downtimes often do not require a check.

    Social actions encompass a large variety of tasks. Common examples include building a relationship with an NPC, contributing to an organization, or undertaking an investigation. These are often of longer term or indefinite duration.

    A player may choose to exchanges 2 Training actions for 1 Social action, or vice versa. A player may choose to exchange any 2 downtime actions for 1 Victory Point.

    There are three main types of Downtime Actions:

    Immediate Actions: Things like learning the answer to a specific question, accomplishing a specific task, and other short-term, one-time things are immediate actions. They are generally similar to Edit Scene and Inspiration uses of Victory Points. You make a check to determine if you succeed. In some cases, where enough persistence will lead to eventual success, you can spend one additional Downtime Action per degree of failure to treat the attempt as a success.

    Extended Actions: Extended actions are those that will take prolonged amounts of time working towards the goal. Extended actions will require a specific number of total degrees of success before they are complete. Some may also include milestones that provide a partial benefit before the task has been fully accomplished. Degrees of failure past the first will deduct from accumulated degrees of success.

    Indefinite Actions: Indefinite actions don't have a set endpoint; they provide some manner of benefit which constantly accumulates. A running tally of degrees of success is kept, and those degrees can potentially be spent to gain some benefit or offset some complication. Some indefinite actions will provide more immediate, concrete benefits for their degrees of success.


    Spoiler: Example Downtime Actions
    Show
    Training Downtime Actions

    • Lore Studies [Training] - Gain 3 skill points to spend on Knowledge skills. No check required.
    • Practical Studies [Training] - Gain 2 skill points. No check required.
    • Martial Retraining [Training] - You learn a new maneuver in place of one you already know. In effect, you lose the old maneuver in exchange for the new one. You do not need to replace the old maneuver with a maneuver of the same level. You must meet all requirements for the new maneuver. You may not lose a maneuver that would cause you to fail to meet requirements for your other maneuvers. No check required.
    • Advanced Martial Study [Training] - You gain 1 Manevuer Known. The maneuver selected must come from one of your known disciplines. You must meet any requirements for the selected maneuver. No check required. This actions costs 2 Downtime Actions.
    • Feat Retraining [Training] - You learn a new Feat in place of one you already know. You must meet all requirements for the new Feat at the time the old feat was taken. For example, if you choose to retrain a 1st level feat, you must qualify for the new feat at 1st level. No check required.
    • Extra Monster Hunting [Training] - Make a DC 10 level check. You earn [Level * 100] extra gold from monster hunting. For every 5 points by which you exceed the DC, this amount is increased by 20%.
    • Hardworking Craftsman [Training]: Craft, Profession, or Perform DC 15. You earn [Level * 100] gold from your chosen profession. For every 5 points by which you exceed the DC, this amount is increased by 20%.
    • Crafting [Training]: You craft up to 1000gp worth of items. You may craft any number of items within this limit. You must pay all base costs, perform any checks required to create the item(s), and have any appropriate item creation feats. If you have feats that affect crafting costs, the benefit of those feats applies toward this limit.

    Social Downtime Actions

    • Kuroda Spy Network [Social] - Diplomacy, Gather Information, or Stealth DC 15. The Kuroda have a massive spy network throughout the city, and by helping it Tsugiharu can learn information and build up favors. Successes may be spent to learn information about individuals or clans or to gain assistance in some matter. Cost increases based on the difficulty or danger of the favor being asked, or the sensitivity and secrecy of the information being requested.
    • Dreamwalk [Social] - Lucid Dreaming DC 15. The Yamazaki effort to guard the Dream Realm is unending, and by carrying out patrols and assignments Shiori can gain favor within the clan and learn from observing an individual's dreams. Successes may be spent to learn information from an individual's dreams to gain insight into the person's desires and feelings, or to call in assistance from the clan. Cost increases based on the difficulty or danger of the favor being asked.
    • Build Relationship [Social] - Varies. You spend time working with or gaining the favor of an individual or organization. The benefits from this action depend on the relationship being built.


    Downtime Actions

    Spoiler: Tsugiharu
    Show
    Relationship Building (Yumi) [Social, Indefinite]: 2/2 Successes
    Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, or level check DC 10. Successes may be spent to call in favors and gain minor assistance from the NPC, or to shift the NPC's attitude toward you.

    Kuroda Spy Network [Social, Indefinite]: 2/5 Successes
    Diplomacy, Gather Information, or Stealth DC 15. The Kuroda have a massive spy network throughout the city, and by helping it Tsugiharu can learn information and build up favors. Successes may be spent to learn information about individuals or clans or to gain assistance in some matter. Cost increases based on the difficulty or danger of the favor being asked, or the sensitivity and secrecy of the information being requested.


    Spoiler: Shiori
    Show
    Dreamwalk [Social, Indefinite]: 6/6 Successes
    Lucid Dreaming DC 15. The Yamazaki effort to guard the Dream Realm is unending, and by carrying out patrols and assignments Shiori can gain favor within the clan and learn from observing an individual's dreams. Successes may be spent to learn information from an individual's dreams to gain insight into the person's desires and feelings, or to call in assistance from the clan. Cost increases based on the difficulty or danger of the favor being asked.

    Relationship Building (Hitomi) [Social, Indefinite]: 1/1 Success
    Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, or level check DC 10. 1 Additional success for every +5 by which you exceed the DC. Your closeness to Hitmoi enables you to pull off feats of teamwork. Successes may be spent on the following:
    • Share Skills - 1 success; You have given each other pointers in a skill you possess. You may use your ally's skill bonus in place of a your own for a single check. The ally must agree to allow this to occur, as they may choose to share some skills but not others
    • Share VP - 1 success; You may spend one of your VP on Hitomi's behalf. You may use any function of VP.
    • Inspired Teamwork - 2 successes; You may share a [Teamwork] feat that you or your ally possesses. For the duration of the current encounter you may treat yourself or your ally as if you possessed a [Teamwork] feat that either of you already possess.

    Last edited by Dorni; 2023-06-25 at 07:58 PM.
    With your every step, these grand adventures shall grow more distant and faint. And there may come a day when you forget the faces and voices of those you have met along the way. On that day, I bid you remember this... That no matter how far your journey may take you, you stand where you stand by virtue of the road you walked to get there.

  5. - Top - End - #5
    Ogre in the Playground
     
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    Default Re: White Cloud City OOC

    Just for good measure
    With your every step, these grand adventures shall grow more distant and faint. And there may come a day when you forget the faces and voices of those you have met along the way. On that day, I bid you remember this... That no matter how far your journey may take you, you stand where you stand by virtue of the road you walked to get there.

  6. - Top - End - #6
    Troll in the Playground
     
    OldWizardGuy

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    Default Re: White Cloud City OOC


    Spoiler: Complications
    Show
    The Hidden Scalpel [Motivation - Patriotism]: The Kuroda clan's first and foremost objective is the continued prosperity of White Cloud City, and this has been drilled into Tsugiharu's head since he could comprehend language; without the City there wouldn't be anything else, and in the face of such an important objective the end justifies the means.

    Softhearted [Motivation - Doing Good]: ...but does it really? Would not rescuing a child in mortal danger, in order to remain concealed from one's target, really be the right thing to do? Is the Kurodas' approach a necessary evil?

    Hesitant Knife [Quirk]: Tsugiharu sometimes wonders. And, never really having gotten the hang of 'switching off' his emotions, when in the process of inflicting a potentially deadly blow on a fellow human being he...sometimes hesitates.

    Defective Blade [Enemy/Rivarly]: Tsugiharu's relationship with his brother Yaichiro is...somewhat complicated. He is aware of Tsugiharu's doubts, that they sometimes dull his blade, and has taken upon him to force either one of two resolutions: temper his spirit into that of a proper Kuroda, or break it so as to leave the family no choice but to disown him - sad, but at least he'd be free from all restraints and could choose a life he'd be better suited to. This might seem cruel, but...let us not forget that it was a moment of softhearted weakness that spawned the Dark Guild.

    The Hidden Clan [Identity/Responsibility/Secret]: The Kurodas have a vested interest in having as few people as possible make the connection between their clan and their disciples' assassin-like combat style. The assumed names policy of Phoenix Academy helps, but sometimes it's not enough...and sometimes, active action is required.

    The Hidden Clan, Pt.2 [Reputation/Prejudice]: However, some clans know, and little can be done if their scions connect the dots. While there would be virtually no risk of them letting out the secret publicly, as they'd be pressured by their own clan to not do so - the Kurodas clearly wouldn't stand by idly - there would also be nothing to prevent them from treating Tsugiharu as befitting of their view of his clan, and conversely he would be pressed to not stain the Kuroda's image.

    The War in the Shadows [Enemy]: Will Tsugiharu get caught in the crossfire? Or will he be the target?

    Brakeless Tongue [Quirk/Temper]: Tsugiharu, unfortunately, tends to say exactly what's on his mind when he's ticked off.

    Biased Training [Weakness]: The Kuroda fight from the shadows, and a "fair fight" is considered a worst case scenario; being severely outnumbered is grounds for retreat, not a last stand. Their training reflects that, focusing on one-on-one techniques, and Kuroda martial artists - at least before acquiring battle experience at the Academy - struggle when surrounded in a melee.

    [Relationships]

    Kuroda Iwamoto Yaichiro: Firstborn of the current Kuroda head and successor to the clan's leadership, he is the product of a strict upbringing and a desire to become a worthy heir. He possesses the charisma of a leader and has an amiable, though somewhat manipulative, personality; however, he also embodies the very essence of the Kuroda clan, being able to purge all emotions - almost as if flipping a switch - to become cold and ruthless when the situation calls for it - and, regardless, he never lets emotions get in the way of 'what is best', which shows in his relationship with his younger brother. A year older than Tsugiharu, he is already enrolled in the Academy. He uses both Steel Serpent and Veiled Moon maneuvers, but his main focus is actually the Tempest Gale school, as he is extremely talented with thrown weapons.

    Kuroda Fujimoto Satsuki: The third child, she is a chipper bundle of energy and, well, she is remarkably well behaved despite that - respecting authority and doing one's duty are pillars of the Kuroda upbringing, after all. Sort of, anyway...she never breaks a rule, but she has an outstanding talent in finding loopholes (and then playing innocent); moreover, while not nearly as good as her eldest brother in 'switching off' her emotions at will, she does so by reflex when seriosuly wielding a weapon, so she still ranks higher than Tsugiharu in Kuroda-ness. Unlike her eldest brother, as well, she actually gets quite along with Tsugiharu; a year younger, she's slated to attend Phoenix Academy next year. Her dual wielding style chiefly uses the Thrashing Dragon and Riven Hourglass schools.

    Kuroda Hitomi: Tsugiharu's mother, and current head of the Kuroda clan. Iron willed and, despite her diminutive frame, a fearsome warrior, she took on her role with some reclutance when the time came, but has since been putting her utmost effort into leading the clan; this, unfortunately, means that no matter how much it pained her, she was the clan head before being a mother, and that she could never show leniency towards her own son's rebellious attitude. In the last years she's been escalating the efforts against the Dark Guild and, well, they answered in kind. No one would be surprised if she had an accident.

    Kuroda Katsuyoshi: Tsugiharu's father, he was a commoner before marrying into the Kuroda clan. While not a martial artist (how he ended up married to the head of the Kuroda, basically the only case where the clan cares about pedigree, would be a story all on its own...and of course, it did not happen without causing some internal strife), he is a skilled alchemist, and has taught his children a trick or two. Not bound by the burden of command, he was the one who comforted them after they were scolded, though he never failed to point out that Hitomi wasn't being strict out of cruelty and, in fact, she loved them as much as he did - in fact, he is the main reason why they (and Tsugiharu in particular, since the other two never prompted as much scoldings as him) didn't grow up hating her.


    Spoiler: Background
    Show
    The name Kuroda - whose ancestry includes both the founders of the Steel Serpent and Veiled Moon schools - is simultaneously famous and unknown, cursed and thanked, influential and of no consequence; moving in the shadows, refusing allengiances to anyone but White Cloud City itself, they are the surgeon's hidden scalpel, excising tumours that endanger the City's continued prosperity and leaving the citizens none the wiser. Despite neither being particularly large nor having actual political power, it is sometimes called (by those in the know) the 6th Great Clan or the Hidden Great Clan, a testament to the influence its very existence exerts: at their best, they are a shield against threats from within, Demonic and human both, unbreakable and incorruptible; at their worst, a bunch of government-sanctioned hired killers. If they had to be summed up with two three-step axis, they'd be Lawful Neutral.
    As an aside, since the Steel Serpent school requires perfect anatomical knowledge, they also produce a lot of skilled healers, who are the public face of the clan.

    Spoiler: The Kuroda
    Show
    The Kuroda clan, as an organisation, answers only to the City Lord and the highest government officials. They are their hidden eyes and ears in the city, and, of course, sometimes their hidden sword as well; that all-out conflicts between clans are rare is not entirely thanks to the involved parties sense of responsibility. They also act as a deterrent against one of the aforementioned officials - or even the City Lord himself - abusing their power too much, out of fear of the others labeling them a target, while at the same time not being so powerful that, should they go out of their minds and decide to stage a coup, they could have decent chances of avoiding complete destruction. Lastly, they intervene in place of the City Guard when the need for secrecy is imperative.

    The circumstances surrounding them mean that the Kurodas have unusual policies when it comes to relationships with other clans, especially marriages: for instance, those who wish to marry into the clan must sever formal ties with their own, so as to maintain the Kurodas' neutrality, and vice versa for those that want to marry out...though of course, in the latter case, either it was a member without knowledge of the Kurodas' true nature, or the newlywed is expected to become a valuable informant if the need ever arises. They are, however, not particularly concerned with pedigree, and actually tend to avoid arranging marriages (up front, at least...they certainly can arrange for two compatible persons to spend time together so as to ignite the spark). Another quite unusual policy regards the clan's trademark schools of martial arts: not make them the clan's trademark schools. Whereas others clans take pride in being the only ones knowing a certain school and pursue only that to the exclusion of eveyrthing else, the Kurodas have since their founding strategically "seeded" the basics of the Steel Serpent and the Veiled Moon into other clans when marrying out; now, even though they're still relatively rare schools, they're not automatically linked to the Kuroda clan. The clan has also have taken in bits of other schools from those who married in, and the Kurodas are not particularly stuck up on what schools their members pursue: what matters is the end, not the means, and - especially with the fact that all martial artists are required to attend the same academy - varied techniques mean an even lesser chance of someone noticing a pattern.

    Of course, not all Kurodas are aware of the clan's real line of business: as mentioned before the public face of the Kurodas is that of a clan of healers, and they run a sizeable portion of White Cloud City's medical facilities. They also use this to explain their policy on marriages, claiming that healers should remain neutral regardless of the parties involved.

    They also hold a secret, buried under the pages of history and centuries of coverup, a secret that if brought to light could spell the clan's doom...a past mistake, and a shadow war still being waged to right it.

    Spoiler: The Dark Guild
    Show
    Once upon a time, there was a man: he was greedy and, not content with the status quo, began using the clan he was the current head of for "unofficial" business, of course in exchange of substantial payments. His name was Kuroda Shigekiyo and, under his rule, the clan actually prospered; until, of course, he grew careless, and started attracting attention from that part of the Kuroda who had been left in the dark (as they wouldn't have allowed such a thing). It would have been only a matter of time before his dealing would start attracting the attention of outside forces, and so the clan was quick to act; with those who had known, but turned a blind eye, turning against them as well, Shigekiyo and his factions were quickly dealth with. However, the new head was Shigekiyo's brother: not having the heart to order his execution, he instead stripped them of their name and sentenced them to exile.

    A grave mistake. Several years later, when rumours of a Dark Guild of lawless murderers started circulating, it was far too late. The Kuroda clan and the Dark Guild have been waging a shadow war ever since, with no resolution in sight: the former is too powerful for the Guild to take out with an all-out attack, and the latter has been proving extremely elusive.

    To this day, the name Shigekiyo is considered bad omen by the Kuroda, and it is effectively a forbidden name within the clan.


    It is at the very centre of this secretive clan that Tsugiharu was born, second son to the family head. With almost all the responsibilities of the firstborn, and yet almost none of the perks, he did not have a particularly fulfilling (or interesting, for that matter) childhood...which is why, perhaps, he developed a - relatively - rebellious attitude and never fully took to heart all of the clan's principles, much to the disappointment of his parents and the contempt of his brother. Still, that did nothing to lower his aptitude for martial arts, and his training met all the established milestones until he reached age 15 - the Kurodas consider this the threshold where the risk of secrets slipping out because of a child's thoughtlessness is sufficiently low - and was enrolled to Phoenix Academy, where he assumed the Sugimoto name (purposefully different from the one chosen by his brother).

    As for what his goals after enrollment are, well...other than improving his martial arts, as a Kuroda he's supposed to weave connections, and certainly he's not against becoming strong or making friends, but...he doesn't really have goals. As far as he's concerned, the years he'll spend at the Academy will be a chance to live free from his clan's shadow, the constant reminder of what he's supposed to become, and the doubts gnawing at his heart. Though, of course, whether that's actually going to prove true is another matter entirely (and it's not like procrastinating will really help in the long run, but hey - that's what teens do).


    Spoiler: Description
    Show
    If Tsugiharu had to be described in one word, that word would be "unremarkable". With average height, compact muscles - geared towards agility rather than raw strength - barely noticeable under his clothing, ordinary features and a quiet demeanor, he tends to not stick long into people's memory; add to that his deeply ingrained stealth training, and he more often than not goes by unnoticed if he's not proactive in drawing attention to himself. He has the mark of an initiated Kuroda - a snake, coiled around a waning moon, with a scorpion's tail - tattooed on his right fist, but in a special ink, invisible without pouring a specific alchemical reagent on it, so it does nothing to make him stand out; the symbol holds meaning within the clan, but the Kuroda have (obviously) no interest in giving outsiders a way to identify them.

    He's quiet, but he's not crippingly shy; he's just not the type to start small talk conversations on his own. In fact, his brain-mouth filter starts malfunctioning when he's ticked off, so if he (or someone else) can't de-escalate a quarrel quickly enough he's liable to start addig fuel to the fire. He is, otherwise, quite good natured, and certainly doesn't go around looking for fights. Let it also be said that, while his attitude in considered rebellious by his clan's strict standards, he is hardly a rebel: he has no issues with respecting authority and doing what he's told, most of the time. When he does break a rule, it's not out of a "rules are stupid" or "rules don't apply to me" feeling, but rather a "I know I'm breaking a rule, but doing what I think is right requires breaking it" one.

    His favourite martial implement is the "scorpion's tail", though he's trained in the use of a variety of weapons - including his own fists - and usually also carries a couple of chakrams and some shurikens; one must always be prepared and adaptable.


    Miscellaneous notes

    Default Stance: Body of the Night.
    Spoiler: Default maneuvers
    Show
    Spoiler: Outside WCC / (Demon) Beasts as supposed enemies
    Show
    Dimensional Strike
    Dizzying Venom Prana
    Fading Strike
    Weakening Venom Prana
    Sting of the Asp
    Spoiler: Inside WCC / Humans as supposed enemies
    Show
    Dimensional Strike
    Disarming Shot
    Fading Strike
    Weakening Venom Prana
    Sting of the Asp





    Spoiler: Planned Progression
    Show
    5th Darkstalker.
    6th Retrain Deadly Agility, Weapon Finesse > Extra Stalker Art (Killer's Implements), Weaken the Prey.
    7th Steel Serpent Style; Stalker Art: Murderous Insight.
    9th Steel Serpent Fangs.
    11th Extra Readied Maneuver? Fuse Style?; Stalker Art > Rogue Talent > Ninja Trick (Pressure Points).
    13th Steel Serpent Venom. Will we even get this far?
    Last edited by Hyperbolic sine; 2020-01-14 at 11:36 AM.

  7. - Top - End - #7
    Troll in the Playground
     
    Griffon

    Join Date
    Mar 2012

    Default Re: White Cloud City OOC


    Shiori will speak with "Bolded Dim Grey."

    Spoiler: Backstory
    Show
    The Ishikawa family was once one of the many smaller clans near White Cloud City. Lacking either a bloodline that consistently produced Martial children or the numbers to exert great influence, the Ishikawa’s bent their talents to diplomatic pursuits, soon becoming excellent tradesman, diplomats—and spymasters. Acknowledging their skill, about six hundred years ago the powerful Yamazaki Clan assimilated the Ishikawas into their ‘family’, granting the group nominal status as a Branch Family of the greater Clan. Since then, the Ishikawa family has done all that they can to make themselves indispensable to the Yamazaki Clan, negotiating more favorable arrangements among the other Great Clans and always ensuring that the Yamazaki clan has plenty of money in its coffers.

    For the first ten years of his life, Ishikawa Shiori seemed like just another scion of the branch family. He failed to show any spark of Martial talent, but he was charming and clever with words from a very young age and even proved to be an excellent liar—a great benefit for a diplomat, when properly managed. He did well in his tutelage and seemed set for a comfortable life as a low-level negotiator or, if he showed some drive, a place as a mid-level diplomat for the Yamazaki Clan.

    One character trait of the young Shiori that was both boon and bane to him was his insatiable curiosity, and it was this trait that ended up altering his life permanently. In the not-inconsiderable library of the Main House of the Ishikawa Family was a Book, bound in an odd green-grey leather and clasped tightly shut. This Book was laid out on its own separate desk in a far corner of the library away from any other desks and books, and every Ishikawa child at the age of four was shown this book and told in no uncertain terms that they must never, ever open it. For six years, Shiori was able to resist the temptation; then one day he found himself in front of the Book in a deserted library, with no other duties for hours. It was too much; Shiori opened the Book.

    The screams brought the rest of the household to him mere seconds later.

    The Book was deliberately placed, for the Ishikawa family prized loyalty to their Clan as the chief virtue; any child foolish enough to read the Book deserved their fate for disobeying their elders. That fate was most often death; the Book held descriptions of horrors, written in arcane glyphs so horrifying that most adults were driven irrevocably insane if they read through the entire book and most children simply died outright, horror stealing their life from them. When the elders of the Ishikawa family came to the library, they expected to find a corpse. Finding Shiori gibbering and shrieking on the floor, his eyes too wide with horror but otherwise untouched, they were surprised, but not shocked, for the Book served a second purpose.

    Two weeks later, the nearly-catatonic Shiori was offered to the Yamazaki family by the Ishikawas; the Book had not only broken his mind, but had expanded it. He had manifested the Martial spark, the Book either drawing out his latent power or else implanting power within him. The Yamazaki Clan adopted Shiori into the main branch on account of his power, and he was sent away to the special training camp set aside for this particular occurrence; after all, this was not the first time that the Book of the Ishikawas had given a foolish child both madness and power, though Shiori was the first of his generation. After a year, another foolish Ishikawa child joined Shiori in his “training”; Hitomi, a distant cousin nearly the same age as Shiori who had heard vague rumors of what had happened to him and was filled with curiosity as a result. The training Shiori and Hitomi faced in a remote encampment within Yamazaki territory dealt with weapons training and developing their Martial techniques, indeed, but it also forced the traumatized children into a semblance of sanity by harsh methods, until after six years Shiori was just barely presentable to society once more.

    The brutal training could have, would have easily destroyed what was left of Shiori’s sanity, if not for what he had discovered upon reading the Book. Monsters, so impossibly terrifying that their mere description could—and did!—drive men mad, existed, and they had no love for humanity, just like the beasts outside the walls of White Cloud City. Shiori knew this with a knowing that was deep in his bones; but he also knew that he had been given both the knowledge and the power to fight them. He worked hard at mastering the training, did all he could to appear at least nominally sane to the rest of civilization, and encouraged Hitomi when she faltered, all due to these two burning convictions: Nightmares were real. And he could fight them. Rechristened with the Yamazaki name, Shiori was sent off to Phoenix Academy to continue honing his skills for the good of the city.

    So soon after getting one new last name, Shiori was told to pick a different one, since keeping names hidden is one major part of Phoenix Academy life. He and Hitomi decide to go with the last name "Nyx".


    Spoiler: Complications
    Show
    I’ve Seen THEM (Motivation: Responsibility/Phobia): Shiori is driven by the fact that monsters beyond all human comprehension wait just outside of reality and want to get in. He sees it as his duty to identify and destroy these monsters, for the sake of the physical and mental safety of everyone around him. This responsibility also extends to Demon Beasts: after all, you never know when a Demon Beast might be one of THEM in disguise… or when a human might be… or a potted plant… or—

    I See Everything (Obsession): Despite years of harsh training to appear at least functional in society, Shiori is not what anyone would call sane. He keeps a journal where he writes down everything he comes across, filling page after page with crooked, barely-decipherable handwriting. If he comes across something he has never seen before, his first instinct is to write down everything he can about it; while it won’t necessarily cause him to stop what he’s doing when his life is in immediate danger, anything less will leave him torn between his responsibilities and writing what he sees down.

    My Calm-Things (Quirk/Weakness): Among his things, Shiori has 5 clay mugs of various shapes and sizes, a signal whistle, a bell, 5 pounds of aquamarine sealing wax, and 10 feet of heavy, slightly rusted iron chain. If he has a designated place that he knows he will return to in order to sleep, Shiori will arrange these various items in odd patterns around his bed; if not, he will keep them on his person at all times. If one or more of these items are lost, stolen, or destroyed, Shiori quickly becomes distressed, finding it hard to concentrate until they are returned or a proper replacement is found. A “proper” replacement isn’t necessarily an exact replica of the item; many more-or-less random everyday items can substitute for the specific ones here, if Shiori takes a liking to them.

    It Was Open (Quirk): Shiori understands that a closed door means that he should probably knock before entering. That’s about all he can remember concerning rules of etiquette around doorways and entryways. If a door is open (or there is no door), he will have no qualm with wandering inside; if a door is closed, he will knock and then try the handle. If the door turns out to be unlocked, he will open the door and walk inside.

    False Yamazaki (Reputation): Despite now having the surname ‘Yamazaki’, Shiori was originally an Ishikawa and is quite a bit odd, on top of that. True, blood-related Yamazaki scions tend to see him as an embarrassment at best and a repugnant nuisance at worst. Two Yamazaki scions are currently at Phoenix Academy: Hayate, two years Shiori’s senior, who seems to have decided to act as though Shiori doesn’t exist; and Mami, who is starting at the same time as Shiori and delights in making a fool out of both him and Hitomi.

    Little ‘Mi (Relationship): Yamazaki Hitomi is the same age as Shiori and thus is starting Phoenix Academy at the same time he is; however, she has had one year less of training, and struggles much more with both her powers and her sanity than even he does. Shiori is fiercely protective of her, seeing her essentially as his little sister.

    THEY Come in Dreams (Quirk/Weakness): Occasionally, Shiori will wake up screaming. Blood-curdling screams. They are fairly random, and can be an enormous nuisance. Because of this (and perhaps... other... reasons), Shiori lives in a constant state of near-exhaustion. He is especially susceptible to sleep effects, and can sometimes simply doze off during a long lecture or a quiet time of the day.

    You Can't Know (Secret): Even in his state, Shiori knows that telling anyone who doesn't know about THEM about... THEM... would be incredibly bad, both for him and the other person. He cannot explain what he is afraid of, where his powers come from, or why he is always exhausted.


    Spoiler: Physical Appearance and Personality
    Show
    Yamazaki Shiori is small for his age, thin, and pale, with hair bleached white by a long-ago terrifying experience and eyes so pale grey they look almost white as well. He almost seems like a child carrying the heavy oak shield and large spiked flail he carries into battle, but he wields both with deceptive strength and is quite a bit hardier than he looks.

    Personality-wise, Shiori is distant and… odd, seeming to have little concept of the “mood” of the room he’s in or the social maneuverings of those around him. Occasionally, flashes of his diplomat training shine through, however, and he can be quite charming and persuasive… when he remembers to be.


    Spoiler: What Dreams May Come
    Show
    The Far Realm is an infinite distance and time away from any other realm. It is a place that fails all the prerequisites of being space, a place where time runs upside down and inside out and matter is more of a suggestion if it’s considered at all. Such a place is anathema to beings of the known Planes and especially the Material Plane, and the things that pass as creatures inhabiting it are so far from ‘normal’ reality that to imagine them invading is as ludicrous as it is terrifying. In order to even understand what they were invading, they would need to find a middle ground, a Plane of existence that has aspects of both the Far Realm and the Material Plane blended together in an illogical mixture.

    The World of Dreams provides just such a middle ground.

    To call the World of Dreams a ‘place’ is misleading, though it does share some aspects with the concept of space. Seen from outside, it resembles nothing more than a sphere filled with starlight, constantly shifting and changing, dying and re-forming ‘constellations’ orbiting around a massive, glowing ‘sun’ in its center. That ‘sun’ is the Dreamheart, the strongest conduit between our world and the World of Dreams; each separate ‘star’ is a separate person’s dreamscape, their own personal domain of dream and nightmare.

    There are very few hard rules of the World of Dreams, but one stands out: relational distance translates to physical distance. Distance morphs and twists unnaturally between the dreamscapes, but sentient beings that know each other in reality find that their Dreamscapes cluster together; the closer the connection, the closer the dreamscapes. Extremely close family members or lovers occasionally find their dreamscapes overlap, though of course they rarely remember such an occurrence.

    This mixture of logic and illogic gives the Eldritch Horrors of the Far Realm a foothold in something resembling our reality, but the connection is still tenuous. Though they may be scant, the World of Dreams still has rules, and it still resembles the world of the Material Plane far more than the Far Realm. The Eldritch Horrors burrow into dreamscapes more-or-less at random, greatly weakened by the transition from pure insanity to a semblance of order. They feed off of the emotions and psyche of the dreamscape’s ‘owner’ like a parasite, slowly corrupting their dreamscape until it resembles the Far Plane and growing in power all the while. Once a dreamscape is fully corrupted, the Eldritch Horror leaves it, bloated with the power it consumed, and seeks a new dreamscape to inhabit. The ‘owner’ of the dreamscape does not survive the corruption; they slowly go insane and eventually die in their sleep, seemingly dead from terror. While the first attack of an Eldritch Horror often takes place at random, and their movement afterwards is erratic, they all seem drawn towards the Dreamheart, and the gateway to our world.

    The corrupted dreamscapes do not naturally fade from the World of Dreams, at least not immediately; they present a far worse threat than the Eldritch Horror that created them in the first place. The minor Eldritch Horrors, those that can survive (though weakened) the transition from the Far Realm to the World of Dreams, have all the apparent sentience of mindless Beasts. There are Greater Horrors in the Far Realm, however, creatures of malevolent intellect possessing forms so nonsensical that their very presence in a Plane with any sort of order would spell destruction for that entire Plane—and for the being as well. A fully corrupted dreamscape is just close enough to the Far Realm that a Greater Eldritch Horror can manifest a shard of itself within it without obliterating the entire World of Dreams. Instead, the Greater Horror’s mere presence begins corrupting all dreamscapes near its form, the corruption spreading and accelerating as the Horror pours more and more of itself into the dreamscape. If the Greater Horror’s advance is not checked, the World of Dreams would soon fall into the Far Realm—and with such a close connection established, the Material Plane would soon follow.

    Unfortunately for the creatures of the Material Plane, most beings are unaware of the fact that they are even dreaming while they are asleep; they are totally unable to defend against a parasitic infection by the lesser Eldritch Horrors, much less a Greater Horror’s concentrated attack. Fortunately for the people of the Material Plane (and the people of White Cloud City in particular), they have the Yamazaki Clan. Whether the ability was developed in response to the infection of the Eldritch Horrors or came about as a fortunate coincidence is lost to history, but at some point in the past the Yamazaki Clan gained the ability to awaken the power of Lucid Dreaming in its Martial adepts. Calling themselves Dreamwalkers, the Lucid Dreamers of the Yamazaki Clan dedicate themselves to the discovery and eradication of all forms of Eldritch Horror ‘infection’, hoping to ensure that the doomsday scenario of a Greater Horror manifesting in the World of Dreams never happens… again.

    In their history of learning to deal with the Eldritch Horrors infecting their dreams, the Dreamwalkers discovered an unsettling fact; knowledge of the Far Realm served as a beacon to the Eldritch Horrors, drawing them to the dreamscapes of knowledgeable mortals like flies to rotting meat. Because of this, knowledge of Eldritch Horrors is kept strictly to the heads of the Yamazaki Clan, fully-fledged Dreamwalkers, and the City Lord. Even Dreamwalkers-in-training are carefully kept from knowing what they are training to fight, facing down their first Horror long after they have gained the power to kill them in their own dreamscape. The other Clans, having no knowledge of the Yamazaki Clan’s duty, consider the Clan to be somewhat weak and timid, conservatives who refuse to send their warriors outside of the Walls of White Cloud City and have far more influence with the City Lord than they deserve.

    The branch families of the Yamazaki Clan do not have the innate ability to Lucid Dream that the Main family does; if any child from one of the branch families develops the ability to Lucid Dream, they are adopted into the main family and secretly trained to become a Dreamwalker, though only rarely do they rise in the family ranks. Occasionally, for extremely powerful Eldritch Horrors, a Dreamwalker will go into the dreams of powerful warriors from the branch families, gathering their dream-selves together to serve as ‘Yojimbo’, extra warriors to aid him in battle even though they are not Lucid Dreamers themselves. These Yojimbo are often selected ahead of time and given carefully portioned knowledge of what they will be facing; their dreams are guarded by Dreamwalkers after said knowledge is given them, to defend their relatively defenseless dreams against invasion by Lesser Horrors.

    If any person discovers the Far Realm outside of the Clan, the Dreamwalkers have a series of responses. For those like Shiori and Hitomi, the unique position of receiving enough knowledge to attract Lesser Horrors to them and just enough power to qualify as a Martial Adept means that they go through Dreamwalker training in reverse: they know what they have to fight, and now must gain the strength to fight them. At his current level of power, Shiori is unable to kill a Lesser Horror on his own in his dreamscape; when one comes to him, he can only attempt to confuse and capture it by forcing his dreamscape into perfect, rigidly-controlled order. A full-fledged Dreamwalker checks in on Shiori and Hitomi’s dreamscapes at least once every night; if they find a Lesser Horror trapped there, the owner of the dreamscape watches carefully as the Dreamwalker eliminates the threat. Shiori and Hitomi are considered useful, but expendable by the main family; they have the potential to be powerful Dreamwalkers, but for now they draw Lesser Horrors to them consistently and provide a convenient place to continue slaughtering them, and if Shiori and Hitomi should die it is no great loss to the cause.

    There are some few people who deliberately seek out the Lesser Horrors of the Far Realm, allying themselves with the illogical creatures in return for temporary power. The Dreamwalkers act immediately and brutally when such a creature appears. In the past, the Dreamwalkers simply killed the tainted person and then tracked down the Horror he or she allied with, but they soon discovered the horrible consequences of taking down the ‘weaker’ enemy first. Dreamscapes do not simply vanish after their ‘owner’ dies; they linger for a time, sustained perhaps by the memories of that person in other minds before finally fading back into the Dreamheart. Without the unconscious resistance of a mortal psyche, a Lesser Eldritch Horror can corrupt and consume a dreamscape almost instantly; the Dreamwalkers often found themselves facing a much stronger foe than they expected, and on at least one occasion they arrived in the dreamscape to find a shard of a Greater Horror already beginning to form. Now, the most powerful Dreamwalkers descend into the person’s dreamscape and through it, seizing the tainted person’s physical form and dragging him bodily into the Dreamheart. In the Dreamheart, they are able to tear the Lesser Horror from its willing victim’s psyche, battling and destroying it before dealing with the mortal creature that allied with it.


    Spoiler: The Yamazaki Clan
    Show
    To those outside of it, the Yamazaki Clan has a very odd structure. The Main Branch seems to do very little except generate Martial adepts which then serve posts on the city walls or within White Cloud City itself, never outside of the city. The branch families handle the Clan's treasury, diplomatic relationships, artistic endeavors, and other miscellany, each branch seemingly groomed for one general purpose.

    In reality, the Yamazaki Main Family spends nearly all of its resources in its constant battle against the Eldritch Horror infestation of the World of Dreams, trusting the branch families to deal with the necessities of being one of the Five Great Clans in White Cloud City. The Yamazaki Clan takes an active role in city politics, though it is nearly always a conservative voice; facing a threat from beyond their world, the Clan is hesitant to spend many of its resources on worldly issues.

    Since dreamscapes survive for a short time past the death of their 'owner', Dreamwalkers take a special interest in the dreamscapes of the recently deceased to ensure that no Lesser Horrors happen upon such a tantalizing prize. For this reason, the Miyamoto Branch Family of the Yamazaki Clan are the premiere undertakers of White Cloud City, allowing the Clan to know about deaths almost as soon as they occur.


    Default Stance: Unbroken Stride

    Readied Maneuvers:
    Drowned Aggression
    Guard's Oath
    Impossible Girth
    Harmony-Shattering Strike
    Last edited by Zelphas; 2023-05-10 at 04:35 PM.
    Originally Posted by Xefas:
    "I need the Goblins in phalanx arrangement. Sky Blotters in the back! Swissles? Assume the Swizzle Stick Formation! We're going in!"
    What Pokemon am I?
    Spoiler
    Show

  8. - Top - End - #8
    Ogre in the Playground
     
    PirateGuy

    Join Date
    Aug 2014

    Default Re: White Cloud City OOC

    Noginori Adarata, currently going by Izuka Adarata.

    Spoiler: Backstory
    Show
    I think my best bet for this is not to go hard on the prose, but rather to write some solid answers for the questions in the OP. So with that in mind...

    What clan does your character come from and what are they like? Are they known for a particular craft? What martial disciplines do they hand down? What is their status?

    Adarata is of the Noginori, a long-standing commoner clan of farmers. He is trained in the logistics of the sowing and the hard work of the reaping. He takes pride and joy in his work, and is prized for his exceptional intuitiveness with crop farming - come poor weather or poor soil, Adarata will find a way to produce harvest. Noginoris are not warriors, and no martial discipline is associated with them. They have no particular status in the city. In all ways they are a commoner clan, and their lifestyle has never amounted to more than simple modesty. The only thing that is extraordinary about them is that they have a rivalry - well, rivalry might be a bit generous - with another clan, the Hazan. The Hazan are brewers, and not particularly good brewers - their technique has gone unchanged in several hundred years, which has begun to cost them business. They were very similar to the Noginoris in status, and there is an enmity between the two as the Hazans see them as their best option for a weaker clan to bully. Three years ago, their firstborn son Yasuda was adopted into Phoenix Academy after proving himself to have a spark of martial talent. Since then the Hazans have become especially boisterous, drunkenly jeering at Noginoris in the street and mocking them, for soon the Hazans believe they will be leaving them behind with their newfound status.

    What is your relationship with your clan? Are you the successor (and all the obligation that entails) or a member of a branch family? What (if anything) do they think of your character, and what does your character think of them?

    Adarata is destined to one day be the head of his clan, be it as it may a clan of commoners, and he is beloved among them for his benevolence and his talent. He is entirely a Noginori at heart, and happy to be one.

    Unfortunately, things have gotten a little more complicated recently - the Hazans got into another shouting match with the Noginoris on the city streets after sundown. This time, when no guards happened to be around, it turned into a fist-fight. With his athleticism, young Adarata foolishly leapt into the fray and got several licks in before the brawl was broken up. This aggression was not smiled upon by the Noginori, who defend themselves physically and verbally but try hard not to agitate their enemies. Even so, nobody could deny it; even accounting for his athleticism, Adarata was a skilled (if unconventional) fighter. This street fight lead to his being enrolled in some simple self-defence training, where it was quickly discovered that he indeed had the gift of martial talent.

    What is your character’s highest ambition? If they could have their idyllic life, what would that idyllic life look like?

    Adarata is not a particularly ambitious young man, and has always been more than content to take over the farm, marry a woman, and continue his family's legacy. Even now, faced with the possibility of being a mighty defender of the city, his very fighting style betrays a subdued appetite for greatness. His strikes and his steps are simple, combing natural strength and practical sense with very little of the flourish and spectacular technique of a trained martial adept. His brawls are like the rest of his life - perfectly successful, of course, but not something that anybody would get a lot of fulfilment out of watching. In the sudden change of moving from farmer to Phoenix initiate, he would be hard-pressed to tell you exactly what his idyllic life is. At times, it almost seems like he is already living it.

    What are the character’s problems? What does the character believe their problems are?

    Adarata's problem is, like many adolescents, his inability to discern his own destiny. He was perfectly happy as a farmer and perfectly happy as a warrior, which begs the question of whether 'perfectly happy' is the best that he can do. His real problem, though, is that doesn't know about that last section. He sails through life with contentedness, and if he isn't careful, he's at risk of sailing through the whole thing without ever stopping to take anything that is valuable to him.

    The only struggle that Adarata knows he has is with the Hazan, with Yasuda, and with his instructors who are constantly asking him to improve. But there is no consistency in what they tell him. One day his footwork seems unusual, and the next he is not poising himself properly, and on the third his strike does not follow through properly. But on all three days, his technique does exactly what they asked him to do, and usually quite effectively. Adarata's unorthodox and unattractive style seems to work perfectly fine, and the only time when he isn't up to standard is usually when he actually tries to carry himself in the way that his teachers tell him to. For that reason, he always gets called up matters of form that he already knows about, and tends to get a rather poor reaction when he says "I know, but this way works better for me."

    Who are the significant people in your character’s life? Do they have friends? Enemies? Allies? A crush? A rival?

    Adarata loves his entire clan, but his father Sonobu has been particularly supportive of him and his new talent. Adarata wears Sonobu's jacket, a prized heirloom that is exceptionally well-made and offers better protection than most armour that a martial adept would wear. His real relationship is not really his relationship, but the relationship between his clan and the Hazan. Now that both clans have a young prodigy in Phoenix Academy, their future power dynamic is entirely uncertain.

    More directly, Adarata is the rival of Yasuda, the Hazan boy. Yasuda has had years more training than Adarata, but has not had Adarata's decade of physical training on the farmer, and the pair are the same age. Where Adarata's family loves him and is curious to see what he makes of himself, the Hazans are hard on Yasuda about taking this opportunity to expand their power. There is constant pressure from them to succeed, and it is visible in his combat form - every step and strike is perfectly calculated and executed, the work of a teenager who has spent tireless nights awake, alone, making sure that everything is up to par. There is fear in his eyes when he fights, not of his opponents (who he will usually defeat rather easily), but of making a misstep in front of his class. Adarata has little enmity towards Yasuda (though he does get a little amusement from the thought of defeating him), but Yasuda recognises him as the Noginori firstborn, and is very much out to take him down, both in the ring and in the social sphere.

    Who or what (if anything) is your character loyal to?

    Adarata is loyal to his clan, to his classmates, and to anybody who is in need. As a farmboy, he has very little capacity to see to his own comfort and success, but as a son in a large clan, he has an eye for opportunities to serve other people. Even so, it is the Noginori clan that he cares about most, and there is nothing in the city that he could betray them for.

    Spoiler: Complications
    Show
    Commoner [Prejudice]: Adarata comes from a line of farmers. He loves farming. He also loves his family, but that doesn't change the fact that they are of low status and low wealth. He is not a popular man, and that is unlikely to go better for him now that he is in Phoenix Academy, and surrounded by a number of nobles.

    Freestyle [Quirk]: Adarata has always had a gift for improvisation and intuition in the midst of trouble. This leaks heavily into his fighting style, a combination of raw speed and power (Tiger Claw and Lightning Fox) with on-the-spot pragmatic thinking (Stolid Sphinx, a very obscure and unusual discipline). He tends to find unorthodox ways to perform the techniques he is asked to perform, which causes friction between him and his instructors, who believe he could be a greater fighter if he took the art form more seriously Furthermore, he tends to struggle with written and technical tests - he has to consciously remember the things that he subconsciously thinks of during a fight, then analyse them to figure out how he would have to change them to be doing them 'the correct way'. Because of all this, he's often seen as a poor listener with little passion for training.

    Loser [Reputation]: Because of how poorly he does in class (see Freestyle), combined with bullying from Yasuda, Adarata is pretty uncool in Phoenix Academy. He struggles to make friends and, due to his very ordinary fighting style, other students find it very easy to look at him as 'just a commoner'.

    Yasuda and the Hazan [Rivalry]: The Hazan clan is the rival to the Noginori, and therefore Yasuda has made himself the rival to Adarata. Ultimately, one of them will be greater than the other, and the greater son will make for a greater clan, shaping the destiny of everybody in their family. Adarata is happy to make friends, but Yasuda is violent about ensuring that he comes up on top, and is not above bullying or social warfare to get the edge over Adarata.

    Spoiler: Item Recipes
    Show
    Speedster's Footwraps

    Spoiler
    Show
    As a free action, the wearer can activate the power of the wraps, treating themselves as if they were under the effects of the haste spell. Every day at dawn, roll a number of d4s depending on the level of the wraps. This is the total number of rounds that the wearer can benefit from the haste effect during the day. The duration of the effect need not be consecutive rounds.

    A crafter can improve his Footwraps to a higher level, only counting the difference in base price to determine cost and time.

    Speedster's Footwraps, Least:
    1d4 rounds per day. 2,400 GP.

    Speedster's Footwraps, Lesser:
    3d4 rounds per day. 7,200 GP.

    Speedster's Footwraps:
    5d4 rounds per day. 12,000 GP.

    Speedster's Footwraps, Improved:
    10d4 rounds per day. 24,000 GP.

    Speedster's Footwraps, Greater:
    15d4 rounds per day. 36,000 GP.

    Speedster's Footwraps, Supreme:
    Unlimited rounds per day. 48,000 GP.


    Default Stance: Momentum.
    Top Speed: 22.86 km/h (14.2 m/h).
    Odometer: 0000000 Miles
    Long Jump Record: 30 Feet.
    High Jump Record: 7.5 Feet.
    Last edited by manwithaplan; 2019-08-25 at 04:24 PM.

  9. - Top - End - #9
    Titan in the Playground
     
    Rizban's Avatar

    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    Aldhaven
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: White Cloud City OOC



    Will be using Goldenrod for speech color.

    I'll get the rest posted when I'm not on my phone.
    Spoiler: Links to my content threads
    Show
    Aldhaven - May 27, 2010 and ongoing.
    Aldhaven Rules and Homebrew (aldhaven.com)

    Character Repository
    Homebrew List
    Quod tibi vis fieri, facias.

  10. - Top - End - #10
    Ettin in the Playground
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    Wandering
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: White Cloud City OOC

    Kotetsu

    "She will be speaking with this stormy dark slate gray." This 'silver' color instead.

    Spoiler: The Murakumo Clan and the Stormbringers
    Show


    The Great status may come and go for some clans but the Murakumo (lit. Gathering Clouds) have maintained a solid standing for decades, even centuries as a powerful clan in the city. Mostly because they are disciplined to a staggering degree, and of course there has never been a shortage of monsters for their ranks to fight. Without cause nor care to political allegiances other clans have they can and will come to the city's aide any time there is a siege or invasion of monsters, maintaining a just as strict stance of neutrality for politics. Their warriors are often referred to as Stormbringers; though they may not have created it, they have perfected a combo of the Lightless Divine Wind and their own Leaping Gail Disciplines no other clan implements, creating an associated visual of leaping, thunderous warriors. A true Master Stormbringer is recognized by their ability to fly short distances, but far enough for them to be deployed with rapid ease.

    Personally, they are regarded as humorless but many are often still helpful, a rare few are heroic and all of them are to some degree able fighters. Many of are teetotalers and eschew most pleasures (or regulate/mitigate them) and bloodlines have disposed them towards having gray eyes and silver hair of varying shades. Every member of the clan, even those who do not fight, are all taught that they are part of the fight against monsters. Those Stormbringers who survive into old age rarely retire unless they are crippled or need to manage their families; some even become instructors of the Phoenix Academy.

    However, dark clouds gather over the clan presently. For over seven decades the sole Patriarch of the clan is one Ogami Murakumo. Old Ogamaru (his academy name) had little choice; his first three adult children one after another fell to demon beasts over the years, postponing his retirement each time. Nephews and nieces too fell in battle before he could groom a warrior successor; by tradition he cannot surrender clan leadership to his oldest remaining son (the clan Steward, who is not a warrior) or any minor clan members, and for years he has waited for his grand children, nieces, and nephews, simply refusing to die until one of them can graduate the academy and be deemed a worthy successor....


    Currently his granddaughter, two grand nephews and the son of a cousin are due to enter the academy; their parents went behind his back and had a 'gentlemen's agreement' that no child would be given a head start...

    ...However...

    There is the matter of the clan's illegitimate heir...

    Spoiler: The Turbulence of youth and secrets
    Show


    Before he was the responsible, if weary steward of his father's Clan, Takeru Murakumo was a capricious youth. The youngest of Ogami's original children allowed him some small measure of freedom while his older brothers and sisters were alive and he took that freedom to the city's arts: painting sculpture but in particular the theater scene. It was somewhat frowned upon but he wasn't getting into gambling nor drinking nor anything untoward and so Ogami, who had recently lost his first born son was busy grooming his second born as an heir let it go. Life was short. Let the lad become cultured. But with young Takeru came his bodyguard Tsugumo, an older but very distant cousin whose job was to regulate the boy and keep him out of trouble.

    Tsugumo failed.

    Over the years, Takeru became smitten with a minor actress who worked in both the Noh and Kabuki traditions. In total secrecy, an astounding feat for a Murakumo, he courted the girl. Even gave her his signet ring in a moment of passion. Tsugumo, having lost his own young wife to illness didn't have the heart to put a stop to this, but kept it under wraps and chaperoned his cousin away from too much rashness. Or so he thought. It may have gone another way, but then one after another Ogami lost his second and third born children to the same monster. The clouds burst, just as the faintest of rumors spread that a Murakumo boy was spending an awful lot of time behind the curtains of theaters. By some miracle Takeru and Tsugumo kept the the affair hidden, making Takeru out as a would be playright, but Ogami's lenience was gone forever. Takeru would become clan steward whether he liked it or not, his thunderous father squashing any complaints or arguments. To drive the point home, Tsugumo was kicked out; Ogami blaming him for his son's "follies" when he should have been preparing him to help the clan, a move that devastated Takeru almost as much as being separated from his first love. But he dared not admit to anything...

    Tsugumo became a ronin and for a time was lost in the cups of alcohol, until by chance, he encountered Takeru's former lover. To his horror, she was pregnant.

    To his even greater horror, as he gained her confidence, he would eventually discover she wasn't human.


    Spoiler: Of Heirs and Hares
    Show


    The first of Ogami's grandchildren was born on a rainy day 16 years ago, to a hengeyokai mother, her true form that of a hare.

    Superstitions and negative press surround these beings. Many hengeyokai flocked to White Cloud, if gradually, over a century ago, assimilating to human culture, but eventually some of them were exposed. Some were even killed for claims of deception but others took note of their powers and thought they could be of use. Outlying clans have many, especially cranes and hares as scouts who can pass relatively without harassment through monster strewn lands. Other hengeyokai took to theater and entertainment, delighting crowds they were desperate to win over. But in spite of any progress there remains issues. Paranoia of their duplicitous natures still runs rampant. As not everyone is aware of how their powers work it has been a common frame job for a human accused of misconduct to say they were being impersonated in the past by hengeyokai. But because many of the original immigrant hengeyokai were the elderly and children, there has been a longstanding assumption that they aren't fighters and worse, that they are cowardly by nature. Obviously this notion has been squashed in the outskirts of White Cloud, but further inward, old associations die hard.

    Tsugumo nearly died from the shock of realization that Takeru had a child with one. Time after time after time he tried to get word--any word-- to Takeru but his expulsion from the clan only led to failure. To say that the child's maternal family was scared would be an understatement; they feared reprisal from the Murakumo clan and had little reason to trust the man who 'helped' this happen... but even they didn't have the heart to abandon the baby or her mother. Cooler heads, eventually, ultimately prevailed. It was agreed upon that Tsugumo would marry the child's mother and claim her as his own; he became a bodyguard for the theater troupe and sent about providing for "his" daughter. As he was disgraced, hopefully, no one would be the wiser.

    Spoiler: The Silver Lining
    Show

    "Kotetsu" was the name she gave upon joining the Phoenix Academy--it can mean either Little Iron or Tiger Iron but as she wrote it in 'basic' script, no one is quite sure which she meant and she won't elaborate.

    She is and was a tomboy through and through, but a congenial one. Raised by other hengeyokai and welcoming humans left her comfortable in her hare form; Kotetsu quickly developed a strong sense of familial duty because of it, always eager to help even if she didn't quite know what she was doing. But while she was too honest to make for a decent actress, Stepfather Tsugumo found in her a natural aptitude for the sword. After begrudging consent from Kotetsu's maternal family he openly taught her basic sword drills that looked impressive, but in secret bequeathed to her Murakumo clan disciplines. Ironically this would have gotten him expelled from the Clan if he were still there. Kotetsu, to the delight of her family, was deemed a fine stage fencer; during masked performances she would swap places with young actors for stage fights with the audience little the wiser. Kotetsu didn't mind giving away credit for her performances; the aplomb of the audience and knowing it made her co-actors more of a success was reward for her; even offstage she often did others' chores and covered for them. She found them to be her responsibility, more than the other way around and ironically she grew up to be more of Tsugumo's daughter than her real father's.

    But like her surrogate father, she may have made a mistake that could lead to unimaginable consequences...


    The Hengeyokai had by this point begun to dominate the theater scene, and after a recent, popular series of plays featuring heroic thieves and corrupt officials, there were those in power who took offense at the success of either. Complaints and attempts to shut down theaters followed, but a riot occurred following a rare monster attack inside the city near the theater district that the local clan was rather, suspiciously slow in halting. The theater guildsmen tried to levy a counter complaint but were met by clan warriors, someone threw a rock and the latter used this excuse to attack the "rebels." No one would have stopped them and risk the political fallout of the clan cleaning house...

    No one, except, of course, for the Murakumo.

    Kotetsu and her father were at the scene, as guards for the actors, and Tsugumo was hurt badly in the resulting riots. As Murakumo rained down trying to break up the fight some warrior from the aggravated clan tried to finish off her father and without thinking, Kotetsu grabbed her parent's weapon and struck his attacker with two, far-too fast blows. A Murakumo noticed, and came to their aide, saving their lives.

    He also seemed to note that for a "human" commoner, she had awfully familiar silver hair, and recognized Tsugumo. He also didn't fully believe she was his child as he claimed; only the main family had hair that light.

    Kotetsu's would later have two reasons for joining the academy. One, her family didn't have any other idea of where to safely send her, and Tsugumo felt that she would end up there sooner than later anyway... The other, more personal reason is that she is tired of her kind being thought of as lesser, tired of seeing people hurting commoners and subtle corruption hurt people who can't fight back. Tired of being thought of as a monster, she is determined to put her sword skills to use for the benefit of others, but even now she is woefully unaware of the powder keg she now represents....

    Spoiler: Complications
    Show


    Illegitimate Heir/Inheritance Conflict/Discord's Pawn She's been told that she's the daughter of a disgraced ronin, and believes it. But she has the silver hair of Murakumo clan nobles, she's been trained in arts that only the Murakumo combine, and her sword has a Murakumo signet ring in the pommel. It's not going to take a master detective to figure out she's really the bastard of someone important, and it might only be a matter of narrowing down potential fathers to realize she's the bastard of the Clan's steward. Who just sent his other child and potential clan heirs into the school.

    Open Secret Identity Kotetsu hasn't admitted that she's a hengeyokai and entered the school as a human, but she's hardly an actress. Hengeyokai already have reputation problems, but even for a warrior academy that excepts all entries, this very well may create trust issues with others if /when the mask comes off.

    Monster Among Monster Hunters/The Good Monster The Murakumo are monster fighters. They have steadfastly remained out of politics or acted without care towards them, and nobody is quite sure what they would make of hengeyokai, let alone that one is the illegitimate granddaughter of the patriarch. The Hengeyokai are considered cowards, tricksters, and even inhuman by many. Kotetsu firmly believes she isn't a monster, and is determined to prove it, but will she even be allowed to when all is said and done?



    Last edited by tonberryking; 2019-04-01 at 08:09 AM.
    <BananaPhone> Stop sniveling worm! You think something as petty as "oh boo hoo my house is collapsing!" should stop you from posting in an online fantasy game where people pretend to be werewolves?

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  11. - Top - End - #11
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    Default Re: White Cloud City OOC

    We now have an IC thread.

    And so it begins.
    With your every step, these grand adventures shall grow more distant and faint. And there may come a day when you forget the faces and voices of those you have met along the way. On that day, I bid you remember this... That no matter how far your journey may take you, you stand where you stand by virtue of the road you walked to get there.

  12. - Top - End - #12
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    PirateGuy

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    Default Re: White Cloud City OOC

    Diplomacy (DC 10) (1d20)[8].

    Knowledge (DC 15) (1d20+6)[9].

  13. - Top - End - #13
    Ettin in the Playground
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    Kn-Local roll: (1d20+4)[14]
    <BananaPhone> Stop sniveling worm! You think something as petty as "oh boo hoo my house is collapsing!" should stop you from posting in an online fantasy game where people pretend to be werewolves?

    "Let me get this straight. Some guy dressed up as Batman to fight the guys dressing up as clowns scaring people. Maybe this planet aint so bad after all."

  14. - Top - End - #14
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    K-Local - (1d20+5)[7]
    K-Nobility - (1d20+5)[18]
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    Griffon

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    Before I forget: Shiori took 10 on that diplomacy roll. He just hasn't acted on the information gained at the moment.
    Originally Posted by Xefas:
    "I need the Goblins in phalanx arrangement. Sky Blotters in the back! Swissles? Assume the Swizzle Stick Formation! We're going in!"
    What Pokemon am I?
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  16. - Top - End - #16
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    Griffon

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    Just for fun: perception to see if Shiori notices Tsugiharu before he speaks: (1d20+7)[8] ...I'll take that as a no.
    Last edited by Zelphas; 2019-04-07 at 07:54 AM.
    Originally Posted by Xefas:
    "I need the Goblins in phalanx arrangement. Sky Blotters in the back! Swissles? Assume the Swizzle Stick Formation! We're going in!"
    What Pokemon am I?
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  17. - Top - End - #17
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    PirateGuy

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    Lol, I too will gamble. Perception (1d20+6)[8].

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    OldWizardGuy

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    I'll roll Sense Motive to get a grasp on Kaede's, well, motives...maybe she just looks nice. (1d20+5)[11] The White Cloud RNG sure is stingy.
    Last edited by Hyperbolic sine; 2019-04-08 at 04:12 PM.
    To the optimist, the glass is half-full.
    To the pessimist, the glass is half-empty.
    To the engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

    Might suffer occasional hiccups in posting rate. Apologies for the inconvenience.

  19. - Top - End - #19
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    Spoiler: Hyperbolic
    Show
    Tsugiharu assesses that Kaede is just the sweetest person and she just didn't want to see her classmates start a fight or develop a grudge.
    With your every step, these grand adventures shall grow more distant and faint. And there may come a day when you forget the faces and voices of those you have met along the way. On that day, I bid you remember this... That no matter how far your journey may take you, you stand where you stand by virtue of the road you walked to get there.

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    OldWizardGuy

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    Knowldge (Local/Nobility) to see what I know about this Kaiu clan (assuming the previous was only to recognise the heraldry/whatever and doesn't invalidate this one): (1d20)[11]+4/+2. 15/13.
    Last edited by Hyperbolic sine; 2019-04-11 at 02:48 AM.
    To the optimist, the glass is half-full.
    To the pessimist, the glass is half-empty.
    To the engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

    Might suffer occasional hiccups in posting rate. Apologies for the inconvenience.

  21. - Top - End - #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by Hyperbolic sine View Post
    Knowldge (Local/Nobility) to see what I know about this Kaiu clan (assuming the previous was only to recognize the heraldry/whatever and doesn't invalidate this one): [roll0]+4/+2. 15/13.
    The pervious spoiler wasn't just the heraldry; it also contained some info on the Kaiu clan. The mention of the Kaiu name is sufficient for the retry, so you can open the spoiler now. Here it is for convenience:

    Spoiler: Tsugiharu
    Show
    There isn't any mon or design that announce's the boy's identity, but the color scheme is clearly the clan colors of the Kaiu Clan - one of the city's Great Clans. The Kaiu boast that "We Are The Wall", and they make good on that claim as some of the city's foremost builders, engineers, and stonemasons. They maintain the city walls and are experts in fortifications.

    Spoiler: Knowledge (Nobility) or Knowledge (Local) DC 20
    Show
    But they're not only builders of fortifications - as the foremost builders in the city, they've constructed significant portions of the city over the years and are major landlords. Much of their political power comes from owning marketplaces and being able to decide which businesses to rent space to.
    Last edited by Dorni; 2019-04-11 at 08:43 PM.
    With your every step, these grand adventures shall grow more distant and faint. And there may come a day when you forget the faces and voices of those you have met along the way. On that day, I bid you remember this... That no matter how far your journey may take you, you stand where you stand by virtue of the road you walked to get there.

  22. - Top - End - #22
    Ettin in the Playground
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    Knowledge Local roll: (1d20+4)[15]
    <BananaPhone> Stop sniveling worm! You think something as petty as "oh boo hoo my house is collapsing!" should stop you from posting in an online fantasy game where people pretend to be werewolves?

    "Let me get this straight. Some guy dressed up as Batman to fight the guys dressing up as clowns scaring people. Maybe this planet aint so bad after all."

  23. - Top - End - #23
    Ettin in the Playground
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    and a forgetful knowledge nature check: (1d20+1)[10]
    <BananaPhone> Stop sniveling worm! You think something as petty as "oh boo hoo my house is collapsing!" should stop you from posting in an online fantasy game where people pretend to be werewolves?

    "Let me get this straight. Some guy dressed up as Batman to fight the guys dressing up as clowns scaring people. Maybe this planet aint so bad after all."

  24. - Top - End - #24
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    OldWizardGuy

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    Knowledge (Local): (1d20+4)[8]

    If it can be attempted untrained (can it?), Knowledge (Nature/Demon Beasts) (1d20+1)[7] Well, I guess it doesn't matter.
    Last edited by Hyperbolic sine; 2019-04-15 at 03:18 AM.
    To the optimist, the glass is half-full.
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    To the engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

    Might suffer occasional hiccups in posting rate. Apologies for the inconvenience.

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    K-Demon Beasts - (1d20+9)[14]
    K-Local - (1d20+5)[9]
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  26. - Top - End - #26
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    Rizban's Avatar

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    How large are the hunting groups, as discussed in class? Should we just assume that all of the players form a single party? Were these preassigned, or are we forming them now?
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    The groups are forming now. There will be a minimum of 5 but no strict upper limit. I suppose its no spoiler that the PCs will be assigned together - if you pair up on your own then that's fine, but if you pair off in 2s or 3s then your Sensei will assign you together before you go. I'm equally disposed to either option.

    You have been in classes a week, so you have some freedom to describe what's happened in the intervening time. It probably shouldn't surprise you that the Kaiu brothers have formed a gang from students who are either like-minded or have evidently decided its better to be with him than be his target.
    With your every step, these grand adventures shall grow more distant and faint. And there may come a day when you forget the faces and voices of those you have met along the way. On that day, I bid you remember this... That no matter how far your journey may take you, you stand where you stand by virtue of the road you walked to get there.

  28. - Top - End - #28
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    Quote Originally Posted by Hyberbolic Sine
    Oh, question for you, Dorni. How are sleeping arrangements? Unless there are single rooms, I guess, but that would be space-inefficient
    Sleeping arrangements are dorms with a room mate. Students are required to spend their first year in the dorm, but after that they may stay in the dorm or set up other arrangements. Students who hail from within the city (ie, most of them) will visit their homes over the weekend / in the evenings as they see fit, so some roommates will be around a lot and others will be conveniently absent for stretches. OOC, I haven't assigned roommates in my notes. If you want to be matched with another PC I'm all for it. Otherwise you can take your chances and leave it up to me.

    Edit: Just copying this over from the Discord. Tsugiharu and Adarata have already been decided as roommates.
    Last edited by Dorni; 2019-04-22 at 07:47 PM.
    With your every step, these grand adventures shall grow more distant and faint. And there may come a day when you forget the faces and voices of those you have met along the way. On that day, I bid you remember this... That no matter how far your journey may take you, you stand where you stand by virtue of the road you walked to get there.

  29. - Top - End - #29
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    Let's go kick the anthill and fight everything that swarms out.
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  30. - Top - End - #30
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    Heads up that I'm going to move us along to the hunt with my next post, which will probably be Sunday. As much as I enjoy characters bouncing off of each other, its past time we started doing the awesome martial adepts part of the martial adepts campaign. So if the team wants to approach the hunt with any specific strategies in mind let me know, otherwise I'll be extrapolating.
    With your every step, these grand adventures shall grow more distant and faint. And there may come a day when you forget the faces and voices of those you have met along the way. On that day, I bid you remember this... That no matter how far your journey may take you, you stand where you stand by virtue of the road you walked to get there.

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