• This section is for roleplays only.
    ALL interest checks/recruiting threads must go in the Recruit Here section.

    Please remember to credit artists when using works not your own.

Dice Pirates of the Darkening Skies - OOC

Main
Here
Characters
Here
Lore
Here
Just from the description, I do not trust that woman. At all. She probably doesn't like Magi because they can sniff her frauds from a mile. Before we make any kind of deal, please let Ivara check the ship. Twice.

It certainly can, though I would intend for a School to kind-of fill that role too. You can take that Focus if you'd like.
If the school fills that role, then I'm fine as things stand right now. It mostly felt weird that the pattern didn't show up anywhere yet, just indirectly in the flavortext. Immediately leads to the question: How does one go about the school design? The document you linked in the beginning gives the general layout, and how the usual powers might look like, right? Logos 1 reads pretty much like my idea of a seer.

I like the Evoking there, too, since it's mechanically far better than the 'I stand next to you and warn you whenever you really should watch what you're doing' I had in mind. Binding is not longer focused on just the seer, right? In general, I'm thinking more in the direction of blessings, less in direction of curses. I don't mind having some access to the latter, but I feel like she's more of the 'I get what I'm here for' and less of the 'you don't get that' type of person. Would that be a decision for the school focus like you have that in mind?

The 3rd Logos is out of reach for now - just wanted to say that I love the Weaving there flavor-wise. If I ever get there, my longbow will be destined to find its way back to its forest.
 
Silanon Silanon

Why bother spending money to bug or trap the ship when Seska will be there reporting in?

I’m really interested to see how Ivara reacts to Seska and vice versa. Especially as Seska doesn’t see Kira as nefarious, nor her presence as a negative.
 
Triple-checking never hurts - there's always that one, weird strand of fate where she tries to get rid of all of us in one swoop, logic be damned. Probably involves Kira's tough childhood, 'plot reasons' and some forgotten prophecy as well... you're right, it makes no sense to send an asset like Seska on board without hoping for the whole thing (whatever that might be, at that point) to succeed, just a bit paranoid, that's all. Might be the place where we're looking for a ship, not quite the best neighborhood, I'd say... and the fact that she's all tech, no magic...

Certainly looking forward to seeing Seska in action - reads a bit like the direct opposite of Ivara, should make for some good interactions between them.
 
I think the synergy between the two will be fantastic, especially this whole strand of fate business. It’ll help Seska from running headfirst into traps.

Let’s try not to stumble into prophecy muddling stuff though!
 
I'll have a proper post when I get back to my hotel, but for now you are doing me proud.
 
If the school fills that role, then I'm fine as things stand right now. It mostly felt weird that the pattern didn't show up anywhere yet, just indirectly in the flavortext. Immediately leads to the question: How does one go about the school design? The document you linked in the beginning gives the general layout, and how the usual powers might look like, right? Logos 1 reads pretty much like my idea of a seer.

I like the Evoking there, too, since it's mechanically far better than the 'I stand next to you and warn you whenever you really should watch what you're doing' I had in mind. Binding is not longer focused on just the seer, right? In general, I'm thinking more in the direction of blessings, less in direction of curses. I don't mind having some access to the latter, but I feel like she's more of the 'I get what I'm here for' and less of the 'you don't get that' type of person. Would that be a decision for the school focus like you have that in mind?

The 3rd Logos is out of reach for now - just wanted to say that I love the Weaving there flavor-wise. If I ever get there, my longbow will be destined to find its way back to its forest.

How do you mean only indirectly? It's been a while since I worked on the doc so I'm curious.

So, School design basically has the following parts.

1. A name which refers, often poetically, to the focus of the School, the conduct of adherents, or reflects the founder or their philsophy.
2. A School provides a Boon to one facet of working Magic. Mechnically the Boon allows you to re-roll up to two failed dice on a spellcasting roll which is in line with the practices of the School. For example, The School of the Bow (a very ancient Stormlord School) provides this benefit when casting spells to affect wind and weather.
3. A School has up to two deficiencies, workings that are not prioritized by the School. These have their Difficulty increased by 1. The School of the Bow is less effective for conjuring lightning or manipulating electromagnetism.
4. A School leaves one element of spellcasting unchanged - the School of the Bow doesn't affect Enchanting in any way.
5. A School has one bound spell per Logos, a special technique of the School which will never trigger Manashock but is quite narrowly designed. So to continue with the Bow, the first three bound spells are:

Logos 1: Whiskers Of Air

The sorcerer can extend their senses through the breeze, instantly getting a feel for the local airflow and sensing any disturbances in its movement. Add Logos to Awareness rolls that might reasonably benefit from this effect. [Logos 1, therefore diceless.]

Logos 2: Navigator

This spell blesses any form of transport dependent on the air, as the magus spins a windpath to fill sails, support hulls, and grant speed and maneuverability. Add successes to various maneuvers of the transport for up to 24 hours [Logos 2, therefore target number 8.]

Logos 3: Eye Of The Storm

At need, the sorcerer can spin a wall of wind, circling them and thwarting any who try to approach, throwing them back with the force of a hurricane. Apply successes as a penalty to attack rolls against the Magus. [Logos 3, therefore target number 9.]


Useful?
Also, any spell of Logos 2 or higher can affect targets other than the Seer, so you can absolutely use Binding on others.
 
How do you mean only indirectly? It's been a while since I worked on the doc so I'm curious.
I just meant my character sheet thus far - I've got the seer thing in the backstory, but nowhere else yet.

Think your post should pretty much cover everything I need to know - simple recipe to get things done, I'd say. I'll put some thought into it tomorrow, get an idea how things could look like for Ivara - so more on that, and potential questions, when I've done that. Thanks!
 
I'll be happy to help get it written up when you have an idea.

In the meanwhile, everyone - it looks like we're going to be starting in Kontina, so has everyone had a chance to skim the lore entry? Any thoughts or questions?

Also, everyone should know I'm open to fun ideas for stuff to add the setting. If it winds up canon by publication you will, at the very least, be credited.
Things people have contributed in the past include a guild of intelligent (but not that intelligent) blue oxen who sell their labour in some Shaydensea ports, clans of rats who live on riverboats and transport things people don't want to take by air, and a Bulwark cult to The Saint of Black Powder.
 
I'll give the lore a closer look once I'm done with the school - one obvious question for me is: What's the most typical place where a dryad would rest to get her hours of sunshine in? My bet would be a random observation platform, but there might be something more appealing, in theory. Is there anything like a guild for navigators, or a place where people go to find specialists of any sort? Orohomi's district sounds like a good place to start searching, but there might be other places. Places Ivara would know, after spending some time there already, between tasks.


About the school: I'll have to put some more thought into the logos spells - I feel like it's probably best to go backwards, so to speak, start with them and see what the other principles would look like in combination with them. At least, my first attempt ended mostly in a school that read great for the first four steps, but then basically would've only needed one part of the Evoking logos. Basically, I was thinking of a school focused on untapping other people's potential by guiding them in the right direction. Like, make blessings more potent, cut down on curses and object-related magic, see where that goes. Embrace the adviser aspect of the seer. As logos 1 power, it'd be possible to do something like a bonus to recognize people's potential; maybe empathy when you first meet them, maybe awareness when they're doing what they're good at. That'd be the basis for other powers to then guide them to become better and better - but all those effects would more or less overlap with the blessing. I'll put some thought into that...

Other option would be to go for more of the Investigation route. A school that focuses on allowing you to track down different paths that lead to that one goal you've determined for yourself. Have to put more thought into that, though, see how it could work out... so more to come on schools.
 
Okay, cool idea on that - buffs blessings, weakens curses and maybe enchantment, your call. Logos 1 to see potential for greatness - mechanically, maybe that's just recognising their highest stats.
Maybe Logos 2 is a self-buff that means you're fated to be in a position to advise a target. 3 could be that your blessings are stronger when you explicitly give advice toward them, or you can see the fate where you said exactly what they needed to hear at the time, and then say it.

What's the most typical place where a dryad would rest to get her hours of sunshine in?
There are three small, magically-created artificial suns in Kontina and at least one of them is controlled by a jackass who will charge you by the hour to bask. Another will involve standing on a rooftop for a while. I'm thinking that the third might be a small, contained garden overseen by a treeperson - there are little spots like that all over the place, where a bough from the Wood has been planted, like a kind of embassy.

Is there anything like a guild for navigators, or a place where people go to find specialists of any sort?

In a place like Kontina, absolutely there'd be a navigators guild. Fiercely independent, protective of members, disproportionately harsh with navigators who aren't paying dues unless they're permanent crew on someone's ship.
 
Think I like the first logos like that - some kind of self-buff to protect those who need advice sounds thematically fitting, too. Not quite sure about the third one; I'll give it some more thought... short hint of an idea: Intertwine the fate of two characters for a moment, probably Ivara and someone else. Not sure what it'd do, how it'd work, or anything really; but something that's more than saying 'here ya go, you have my blessing'. I'll think about ideas, was busy today.

Don't think I'm a fan of paying money, and I'd say that rooftops are the preferred choice over anything embassy-like in general. Maybe sometimes a little hint of home, but not too much of it. The guild will probably be the second point where to find her; easy to find, protected, and a good place to get new rumors etc...
 
What if there was a kind of shared binding effect, where both characters get the bonus as long they're working together?
 
That sounds good, and open possibility for more combo skills. But how can we determine whether two characters has bonded enough to gain the bonus?
RegalVibrantAmericanquarterhorse-size_restricted.gif
 
What if there was a kind of shared binding effect, where both characters get the bonus as long they're working together?
Something like that sounds like it'd make a good fit for the character. You know, the airship is in a rough spot - bond with the helmsman, see that both of us (and thus the rest of the crew) get out of there alive. Stuck in a combat where we really didn't want to end up? Bond with the rearguard, make sure that our retreat is as smooth as possible. Think I like that kind of teamplay aspect, though it's pretty generic in nature while school spells should be more specific, right? Think it'd be better to narrow down the possible uses to a certain kind of situation?

Same question for something like the self-buff, I'd assume - I'd suggest something that's really meant to keep the caster alive to help and support someone, so likely purely defensive... then again, that wouldn't quite suit her intended role to mostly do talking, and stay in the back when the action begins, so I might want to go for something else instead. Maybe do something like above, get a bonus on all actions that help one specific person? But that's not specific at all, I'd just throw it at the one target that happens to do stuff. So combat-specific, any action that directly stops others from ending the specified life early? Hmm... more thinking to do, I believe...
 
Alrighty - a proposal. It lacks the numbers for the various skills - I don't know the mechanics enough for those. Thoughts?

1. Name: Coven of Old Oak's ancient Eye
2. The Old Oak is not only seer, but also teacher for many who need guidance. It is said that under her one-eyed stare, all students will, eventually, become what they're meant to be. Few see potential as clearly as she does - fewer find the path to guide them all the way. And noone can claim that their students can quite share that gift like hers do. Just like she guides those around her to greatness, so do those who follow her path. They excel at making others excel at their tasks; their blessings are more powerful than most.
3. Where you seek to guide those around you, it becomes an easy habit to disregard those paths that lead to their demise. The curses of those of the school are less potent; so are most applications on non-living things, as it's people, not tools, who shape the world.
4. The art of weaving is left untouched by the Old Oak's magic. Non-living, at first, may seem to weaken her grasp - but hidden far away from true danger, she has made some effort to let her blessings reach other places in this way. Both sides, it seems, negate each other.

5. This is where things get tricky...
Logos 1:
Glimpse of Greatness
The user can identify the highest stats of the targeted being; some say it is also the reason for her students' confidence, for they see their own potential grow.

Logos 2:
The Old Oak's Aid
Few can focus as well on another being's path as she does; those who were taught by her are better than most. The user focuses on one individual. Their possible fates become clearer, whereas others escape the user's grasp. Thus, it is all the easier to counteract demise in their path, whereas other threats might not be noticed.
Mechanically, have some bonus for helping that one person, while taking a malus on other uses of magic.

Logos 3:
Intertwined Fates
They say that any task becomes easier whenever the Old Oak stands nearby and watches. Those who followed her guidance for long enough know to intertwine strands of fate like she does; uniting two unlikely strands to a new one that shines all the brighter, the more difficult the task. Mechanically, both the user and the target get a bonus for any action that leads to the accomplishment of a single, clearly defined common goal.
 
Looks good, but we may need to tweak it a tad.

Meanwhile, who's good to go? Who needs more time? Any further thoughts on where we'll begin?
 
Pretty much done, after the tweaking. Open for more bonds with characters, though, if someone's interested.
 
Grey Grey I just got my laptop back from the shop (needed to have the fans replaced). Haven't finished my backstory but that's the only thing, and I was sort of waiting on D. Rex D. Rex to finish his so I wouldn't get any details wrong.
 
D. Rex D. Rex I just didn't want to get into the details of their escape too much considering most of that will be your show.
No worries there! Figured we'd grab something and fly off. But not really sure after that.

Silanon Silanon Did you want our paths to intertwine still? I can make that happen easily enough.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top