Seraph X
Prince of the Realm of Dreams
Weaponry - Bladed
Any and all kinds of swords are welcome! Broadswords, katana, grand swords, cleavers, falchions, scimitars, rapiers - any of those are fine. You may also bring in an energy-based sword, HOWEVER it must be steampunk/semi-futuristic in design style or be either a Monado I variant, a Monado II variant, or a Replica Monado variant - there will be NO Monado III variants in this RP, period! Not even for me. Other than that, you may also bring in axes, halberds, spears, knives/daggers, chakrams, scrap drivers, scythes, bladed boomerangs and the like. Just make it clear if your weapon is energy-based!
Weaponry - Blunt
Any kind of staff, club or other blunt weapon is welcome here. That includes flails, maces, and other spiked, smooth or flat blunt weapons.
Weaponry - Ranged/Distance
Now, in regards to distance weaponry, you may have any of the following: bow, crossbow, slingshot, blowgun, handgun, rifle, shotgun, gunblade. However, no weapon may be given the power of having unlimited ammo. All guns and etc., must have a reload time before they can be used after running out of ammo from each shot or series of shots they can fire before running out of ammo. If you opt for an energy-based steampunk-style/semi-futuristic-style gun, then it must have a Cooldown rate before it may fire again after each shot, or else be limited in how many shots it has before forcing itself into a Cooldown period; this also accounts for Arts used in gun-based weaponry (more on Arts below for the inexperienced).
Species
Okay, so, now that you know the weapons, before we get to the explaination of Arts, I'm guessing some of you will want to know what species of life form your character's avatar can be. Well, that's the awesome thing: any of the Xenoblade species! Yes, you can be any of the species introduced in Xenoblade Chronicles - at least, all the non-monster ones. That means you have these options:
The one race that is equally as important as these and which players cannot become is that shown below:
Arts
Now we get to the bread and butter of action/adventure RPing: the combat. As this is a Xenoblade/steampunk SAO RP, all characters will have basic attacks they utilize which will be decided by the Dicsipline assigned to them and their weapon(s) of choice, as well as Arts, which are essentially special attacks and/or magic attacks meant to do more intense damage than normal attacks would normally do.
Arts, unlike normal attacks, all have Cooldown rates that must be acknowledged between uses, and all are divided into three subcategories: Weapons Arts, Magic Arts, and Special Arts, all of which can ONLY be used in combat. NOTE: All Arts must be approved before use in-game.
Weapon Arts are Arts that are focused towards being executed by your weapon or physical body.
Magic Arts use Ether, the energy and essence of the world and of life itself, to either damage enemies, heal and enhance players and their allies, or shield allies from elemental or physical damage for a set specific length of time.
Special Arts are perhaps the most important of all Arts - these are your character's signature moves. Each character MUST have one Special Art, and these can range in their effects to a wide variety. They can damage enemies, heal the user and/or their allies, enhance users and their allies, provide enhanced protection from specific kinds of attacks or Arts, or affect the user and/or their allies in some special way that benefits them in combat, such as temporary invisibility.
Players may have up to eight Weapon and Magic Arts in TOTAL. Monado wielders, if approved, will have any number of the signature Monado Arts in a second set of Specialty Arts seperate from their Signature Specialty Arts.
Monado Arts = The Arts specific to the Monado - wielders of this special weapon type will be granted use of any one or more of the following Special Arts as a second, seperate set of Arts nicknamed "Monado Arts" in their in-game menus.
Buffs
The equivilant of positive status effects; they are listed below.
Debuffs
The equivilant of negative status effects; they are listed below.
Items
In the universe of Xenoblade, there aren't any items that you get to use freely in the field, as HP constantly regenerates outside of combat. However, in this version of the concept, HP will restore much more slowly, if at all, outside of combat, and players will thus need items to help them heal and restore themselves outside of combat, as Arts cannot be used outside of combat. Below is a list of current available Items for use in the field for healing and etc. NOTE: These can also be used in combat, but are restricted in player-on-player duels. NOTE 2: All players are limited to only being able to carry 99 of ANY item of the same sort; once an item's space in the inventory is maxed out, it will turn red in their display and they will no longer be able to collect any more.
Any and all kinds of swords are welcome! Broadswords, katana, grand swords, cleavers, falchions, scimitars, rapiers - any of those are fine. You may also bring in an energy-based sword, HOWEVER it must be steampunk/semi-futuristic in design style or be either a Monado I variant, a Monado II variant, or a Replica Monado variant - there will be NO Monado III variants in this RP, period! Not even for me. Other than that, you may also bring in axes, halberds, spears, knives/daggers, chakrams, scrap drivers, scythes, bladed boomerangs and the like. Just make it clear if your weapon is energy-based!
Weaponry - Blunt
Any kind of staff, club or other blunt weapon is welcome here. That includes flails, maces, and other spiked, smooth or flat blunt weapons.
Weaponry - Ranged/Distance
Now, in regards to distance weaponry, you may have any of the following: bow, crossbow, slingshot, blowgun, handgun, rifle, shotgun, gunblade. However, no weapon may be given the power of having unlimited ammo. All guns and etc., must have a reload time before they can be used after running out of ammo from each shot or series of shots they can fire before running out of ammo. If you opt for an energy-based steampunk-style/semi-futuristic-style gun, then it must have a Cooldown rate before it may fire again after each shot, or else be limited in how many shots it has before forcing itself into a Cooldown period; this also accounts for Arts used in gun-based weaponry (more on Arts below for the inexperienced).
Species
Okay, so, now that you know the weapons, before we get to the explaination of Arts, I'm guessing some of you will want to know what species of life form your character's avatar can be. Well, that's the awesome thing: any of the Xenoblade species! Yes, you can be any of the species introduced in Xenoblade Chronicles - at least, all the non-monster ones. That means you have these options:
- Homs = Essentially your average humans, the Homs have technology of a somewhat steampunk design with some traces of advancement.
- High Entia = Similar to the Homs, the distinctive part of the High Entia is the presence of a pair of wings on their heads. The High Entia have a highly sophisticated society and a fairly advanced form of technology. Rumors persist their wings once enabled them to fly, but nothing has ever been proven. They have great skill with medicine and various forms of Ether-Magic, and can live for hundreds of years without dying of old age.
- Nopon = Small, round, fluffy balls of fuzz, the Nopon are baby-size to the humanoid species, with stubby arms and legs and rabbit ear-like limbs that allow them to pick up and carry objects as if they were extra arms. They commonly dwell in forest regions or in Homs colonies/towns, working as merchants, researchers, medics and caretakers, living laid-back lifestyles with few cares in the world.
- Machina = Tall half-mechanical humanoids, the Machina are the oldest of species - literally - in that they cannot age as fast as other species, able to live for thousands of years without dying. Masters of technology mixing steampunk design and advanced capabilities, they have a knack for building all manner of robotic machinery. They were the original creators of the Mechon
- Mechai = A sub-species of Homs, these beings are built rather than born. Created when a Homs is cybernetically enhanced with robotic parts, the Mechai are usually few in number and uniquely strengthened such that their weapons can do damage to Mechon without the aid of the Monado.
The one race that is equally as important as these and which players cannot become is that shown below:
- Mechon = A race of robotic monsters originally built to serve as the Machina's worker and defense drones, they somehow rebelled and now roam the lands searching for victims. They don't care who they attack, be they Homs, Nopon, High Entia, Mechai or Machina, so long as they consume whatever they can of the bodies of their victims and drain their bodies of all energy.
Arts
Now we get to the bread and butter of action/adventure RPing: the combat. As this is a Xenoblade/steampunk SAO RP, all characters will have basic attacks they utilize which will be decided by the Dicsipline assigned to them and their weapon(s) of choice, as well as Arts, which are essentially special attacks and/or magic attacks meant to do more intense damage than normal attacks would normally do.
Arts, unlike normal attacks, all have Cooldown rates that must be acknowledged between uses, and all are divided into three subcategories: Weapons Arts, Magic Arts, and Special Arts, all of which can ONLY be used in combat. NOTE: All Arts must be approved before use in-game.
Weapon Arts are Arts that are focused towards being executed by your weapon or physical body.
Magic Arts use Ether, the energy and essence of the world and of life itself, to either damage enemies, heal and enhance players and their allies, or shield allies from elemental or physical damage for a set specific length of time.
Special Arts are perhaps the most important of all Arts - these are your character's signature moves. Each character MUST have one Special Art, and these can range in their effects to a wide variety. They can damage enemies, heal the user and/or their allies, enhance users and their allies, provide enhanced protection from specific kinds of attacks or Arts, or affect the user and/or their allies in some special way that benefits them in combat, such as temporary invisibility.
Players may have up to eight Weapon and Magic Arts in TOTAL. Monado wielders, if approved, will have any number of the signature Monado Arts in a second set of Specialty Arts seperate from their Signature Specialty Arts.
Monado Arts = The Arts specific to the Monado - wielders of this special weapon type will be granted use of any one or more of the following Special Arts as a second, seperate set of Arts nicknamed "Monado Arts" in their in-game menus.
- Enchant = Spreads an aura of Ether over all allies, granting them the Enchant Buff (see below) for a set number of posts; the Cooldown is two posts.
- Buster = Doubles the range and power of the Monado's blade for a few moments and unleashes this power on all enemies caught in the arc of the swing, dealing additional damage to Mechon enemies; the Cooldown is four posts.
- Shield = Spreads an aura of Ether over all allies, granting them the Shield Buff for a set number of posts; the Cooldown is four posts.
- Speed = Spreads an aura of Ether over a specific ally, granting them the Speed Up Buff for a set number of posts; the Cooldown is two posts.
- Purge = Fires off a homing shockwave of Ether that impacts a target and infects them with the Arts Seal Debuff (see below); the Cooldown is three posts.
- Armor = Spreds an aura of Ether over all allies, granting them the Armor Buff for a set number of posts; the Cooldown is three posts.
- Eater = Unleashes an Ether wave at enemies over a short-to-mid reach in a 90 degree field of effect in front of the wielder that deals damage and infects them with the Bleed Debuff (see below); the Cooldown is three posts.
- Cyclone = Draws out extreme power from the Monado and unleashes it all in a massive Ether blast that covers a mid-range area around the wielder in a full circle, dealing one-and-half times as much damage to Mechon and afflicting all enemies with either Break, Topple, or Daze Debuffs; the Cooldown for this move is unique in that all other Monado Arts become available again after five posts, but this Art requires seven posts before it will be available for use again.
Buffs
The equivilant of positive status effects; they are listed below.
- Regen/Regenerate = Gradually restores a specified percentage of the affected's HP for a set number of posts.
- Damage Heal = Restores a specified percentage of damage every post for a set number of posts.
- Strength Up = Raises physical attack and Weapon Arts strength by a specified percentage for a set number of posts.
- Ether Up = Raises the power of Magic Arts by a specified percentage for a set number of posts.
- Agility Up = Raises the agility of the affected by a specified percentage for a set number of posts.
- Speed Up = Increases evasion speed by a specified percentage for a set number of posts.
- Haste = Increases the movement speed of the affected by a specified percentage for a set number of posts.
- Physical Protect = Raises physical defense by a specified percentage for a set number of posts.
- Ether Protect = Raises Ether/Magic defense by a specified percentage for a set number of posts.
- Reflection = Reflects all damage back at the attacker for a short number of posts; CANNOT block Special/Signature Arts.
- Shield = Blocks all damage from an enemy's Special Arts ONCE.
- Enchant = Allows non-Monado Wielders and non-Mechai to do damage to Mechon enemies.
- Armor = Enhances both physical and Ether/Magic-based defense by a set percentage, lowering damage taken for a set number of posts.
- Aggro Down = Reduces the Aggro focused on a player for a set number of posts. (Aggro is essentially an enemy's aggression; the higher your Aggro, the more enemies will be drawn to you when they sense your presence.)
- Aggro Up = A borderline Debuff, this Buff raises a player's Aggro, drawing the attention of nearby enemies for a set number of posts. The advantage to this is to draw in more weak enemies to grind Experience from and draw the attention of powerful enemies off of party members; the disadvantage is this causes any enemy that is aware of the user's/afflicted's presence to be more likely to come after them, potentially drawing too much aggressive attention.
Debuffs
The equivilant of negative status effects; they are listed below.
- Break = Opens the afflicted for Topple Debuffs for a specified number of posts.
- Topple = Lowers evasion rate to zero and increases critical damage received; opens the afflicted for Daze Debuffs.
- Daze = Critical damage taken is increased still further for a specified number of posts.
- Sleep = Forces the victim to fall asleep until the effects wear off, rendering them incapable of combat and causing all damage taken to become critical for a specified number of posts.
- Confuse = Disorients a target afflicted, causing them to wander aimlessly for several moments, leaving themselves open to attack for a specified number of posts.
- Bleed = Deals a specified amount of damage over time for a specified number of posts.
- Poison = Deals a specified amount of damage over time for a specified number of posts.
- Blaze = Deals a specified amount of damage over time for a specified number of posts.
- Chill = Deals a specified amount of damage over time for a specified number of posts.
- Slow = Reduces movement speed and evasion by a set percentage for a set number of posts.
- Bind = Forces the afflicted to remain rooted in place for a set number of posts (the afflicted can still attack and defend whatever is in range of their currently available attacks and Arts).
- HP Down = Lowers the maximum HP of the afflicted for a set number of posts.
- Strength Down = Lowers the afflicted's physical strength by a specified percentage for a set number of posts.
- Physical Def. Down = Lowers the afflicted's physical defense by a specified percentage for a set number of posts.
- Ether Down = Lowers the afflicted's Ether/Magic power by a specified percentage for a set number of posts.
- Ether Def. Down = Lowers the afflicted's Ether/Magic defense by a specified percentage for a set number of posts.
- Agility Down = Lowers the affliced's agility by a set percentage for a set number of posts.
- Pierce = Causes the afflicted's physical and Ether/Magic defenses to both become ineffective for a set number of posts.
- Arts Seal = Locks and prevents the afflicted to utilize any of their Arts for a set number of posts.
Items
In the universe of Xenoblade, there aren't any items that you get to use freely in the field, as HP constantly regenerates outside of combat. However, in this version of the concept, HP will restore much more slowly, if at all, outside of combat, and players will thus need items to help them heal and restore themselves outside of combat, as Arts cannot be used outside of combat. Below is a list of current available Items for use in the field for healing and etc. NOTE: These can also be used in combat, but are restricted in player-on-player duels. NOTE 2: All players are limited to only being able to carry 99 of ANY item of the same sort; once an item's space in the inventory is maxed out, it will turn red in their display and they will no longer be able to collect any more.
- Healing Potion = A basic healing draught able to restore 100 HP.
- Hi-Potion = A more potent form of the common Potion able to restore 500 HP.
- Great Potion = A still more powerful form of Potion able to restore 2000 HP.
- Antidote = A simple yet potent medicinal draught that cures a player of Poison, Sleep, Break, and Confuse Debuffs.
- Binding Salve = A special bandage laced with healing and disinfectant serum that cures Bleed, Blaze, Chill and Pierce Debuffs.
- Moon Leaf = A unique leaf of a rare tree that, when eaten, cures HP Down, Strength Down, Physical Def. Down, Ether Down, Ether Def. Down, and Agility Down Debuffs.
- Restorative Amulet = A magical object that, when invoked, cures Arts Seal Debuffs.
- Elixir = The most powerful form of curative items, this rare and expensive draught can restore a player to full HP and cure ALL status Debuffs.
- Hyper Elixir = The rarest of curatives, Hyper Elixer's are able to restore full HP and remove all Debuffs for ALL active party members.
- Ingredients = These come in two overall varieties: Food and Potion. Food Ingrediants range from various kinds of meat and veggies to fruits and spices. Potion Ingrediants can be bugs, plants, even Ether Crystals. These can be cooked or brewed into potent food for restoring health in the field or into special potions that can be consumed to enhance a player's stats in battle or give them permanent stat boosts.
- Gems = A Xenoblade specialty, these are Equipment pieces that are added onto Equipment already equipped to players. They are formed from purifying Ether Crystals into viable Ether Cylinders, then crafting them into Gems. The number of Gems able to be equipped to a piece of Equipment depends entirely upon the kind of Equipment and the number of slots - if any - that are available.
- Ether Crystals & Ether Cylinders =Another Xenoblade specialty, Ether Crystals are objects that are found commonly in deposits of glowing ore scattered around the environment. Crystallized forms of Ether, they can be purified into Ether Cylinders, which can then be used in Gem Crafting. Unused Cylinders and Crystals are stored in a specific part of a player's inventory. Ether Cylinders can also be acquired from defeating Mechon. Both come in several elemental types: Fire, Water, Ice, Earth, Air, Electric, Light, and Dark, and all have different effects when crafted into Gems and equipped.
- Crafting & Synthesis Articles =These are objects such as types of cloth, pieces of metal, and bits of ore or other materials that can be traded later at specific shops to gain new kinds of Equipment, ranging from Armor to Weapons.