Realistic or Modern VALK // 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙏𝙖𝙨𝙠𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙤𝙘𝙤𝙡 - (OUT OF CHARACTER)

[ERode]

Dunno about people giving up on the ability to gain lightly supernatural tasks pretty quickly. Like, a good amount of the new Valkyries came around and basically end up with abilities surpassing world-class athletes without nearly the same level of training or effort.

You could kinda figure out how quickly it takes to get extra abilities just by knowing how often one Rare Cycle pops up, really. Since I think it’s fair to say that every PC has at least one super useful “normal” ability, and they had obtained such abilities within the timeframe of a Rare Cycle popping up.

Really, dieting/fitness doesn’t even compare to such speeds.

 

[JINNI]

Yes, VALK is public, but that doesn’t mean it’s reliable, widespread, or understood. Most people who get tasks freak out, and delete it. The ones who keep going either get stuck in Uncommon territory or end up dead in their first Cycle.

The app itself is also somewhat new. Most of the world either thinks it’s a hoax, ARG, or spooky internet myth. The viral Tasks, the Rare Cycle pings, Imprints, they’re all recent phenomena. This isn’t a long-established system people have figured out how to game. Even ODIN, the organization monitoring it, is still in crisis-control mode trying to contain the spread and prevent mass hysteria.

It may be a mistake on my end too, maybe I undersold just how dangerous & unreliable Rare Cycles are. Coming out alive from a rare cycle is already a tall task, and even then, there's no guarantee that you'll get powers from just coming out alive. You can't strategize or grind your way through it. Uncommon Tasks also don’t lead to obvious powers. They give subtle shifts, stamina, sharper reflexes, uncanny instincts. That's why I don’t allow overt supernatural skills to come from them. Their purpose is to foreshadow change, more than anything. Like a preview of what's to come.

It's also worth noting: if too many people understood what VALK really was, or how to chase it deliberately, the result wouldn’t be mass empowerment... it’d be chaos. Imagine if people suddenly knew that there were wild breaches filled with monsters who could kill them, make entire buildings collapse or warp reality. ODIN suppresses this knowledge for a reason. The people who do know are already working under ODIN, deeply traumatized, or gone. Maybe plotting something, or wrecking chaos somewhere. Whatever they're doing, ODIN's keeping track and keeping everything under the radar (for now). But definitely yeah they can't keep doing that forever.

 

[JINNI]

JINNI
icic, valid. The intention behind metal detector and deconstruct is not that they are useful in combat, but that they help her find objects that she can then consume. Some changes I can see that add clarity to that vision are to limit deconstruct to say… objects smaller than a mini fridge, and perhaps that it takes a minute per lb of material. As for catwalk, I can change that to the basic “uncanny reflexes,” with no other addendums.

The intention between the various forms is that she only has access to the material she can find. I suppose the v fair question is, given her resources, why not just have a stash of metallic (especially gold) snacks on hand

I could add a scavenger element to it (perhaps objects she holds on to for too long are rendered inert, and thus unsuitable to be used with the imprint). Lmk what ideas you have brainstormed!


Tbf, rich people getting contracted by the government is basically just Real Life. Thorn’s father def has shadier shit goin’ on. It is prob just business as usual for the public

Updated abilities look good! For the imprint, tbh I like what it does : D so maybe we just have to find a suitable limitation.

Something like.. Maybe she always has to go Copper -> Iron -> Silver -> Gold then back to copper again? Makes it kinda more strategic and interesting that way. It creates situations like: "The enemy's open to attacks right now but they're also prepping up a strong attack. Do I stay in copper or switch to Iron right now?"

Plus, this also solves the problem of defaulting to Gold as the most useful form. We can definitely try to figure out other workarounds, that's just what's on top of my mind right now!

 

[ERode]

Ah yeah, I kinda had the impression that VALK (or some other past version of it) was pretty old, because you had a whole ass government organization set around it…and governments are notoriously slow even to handle new, big things.

In any case, I guess I’ll mentally rework some abilities I had in mind to be less life-changing and more mundane.

 

[Juju]

I'm pretty sure the VALK phenomenon is still really new?

 

[SavannahSmiles]

hi hi! I love ms. voss so much! especially that sharp writing chefs kiss!!
that said, i can't help but to feel that at her current state, she's a tad bit overtuned.

Outside of her Imprint, her Uncommon abilities give her a lot high mobility (Catwalk), environmental control (Deconstruction), and perfect battlefield awareness (Metal Detector). Each of those by itself would be fine, but stacked together, they start to make her feel a little too all-purpose. In VALK, Uncommon abilities are meant to feel subtle, like things that hint at change, or give just a slight edge, not full-on combat buffs or toolkit coverage. I’d recommend dialing at least one of them back a bit so the others can shine more clearly, and so she doesn’t outpace other characters on a base level.

As for the Imprint, “Gilded One” is really cool! But I've a few concerns about it, mainly about its flexibility. Even with the “one form at a time” rule, there’s still not much mechanical reason to use anything but gold when the stakes are high, which makes the other forms kind of moot. I think if we want to keep the “eat metal and transform” idea (which is genuinely very cool), I’d love to help you rework it into something that’s still indulgent but more focused & grounded. Right now it’s just doing too much at once, and a little tightening will make her feel stronger thematically and better to play with the other cast. Let me know if you want help brainstorming!


I like the Medusa concept! It’s definitely magical, and fits as an imprint. As long as the effect is slow instead of direct, it should be fine. You could frame it as the target starting to feel heavy or slow, like their muscles are stiffening or their limbs are turning to stone little by little. Full petrification could happen only after sustained exposure, which makes it usable but still fair.

Just a quick reminder though, since it’s still a Rare Imprint, it should come with a meaningful drawback. Even if it’s magical, there still needs to be a cost or consequence to balance it out in practice. Whether that’s something physical, or something more psychological (like emotional feedback or sensory overload), we’d want to make sure there’s tension built into using it.

For the venom/fangs idea, that could work as an Uncommon ability if it stays grounded. Something like his saliva causing drowsiness or light disorientation could totally work, especially if it only kicks through a bite. It should still feel physical and subtle, not overtly magical (which is what uncommon abilities should feel like).

I was thinking that since snakes can't produce body heat and therefore can't regulate their body temperature like mammals can, that the drawback would be that the longer he uses his ability, the more he loses control over being able to regulate his own body temperature and would need to find an external source of heat to help him warm up.

 

[Juju]

Behold, my child! Lemme know your thoughts on the abilities and imprint. Special thanks to Silent for help with the third ability.

 

[Nellancholy]

Yoko's quite the lovely ball of spikes,and what a novel imprint,too.

Rongyao would absolutely cut herself without hesitation if they needed to find each other. That or just...track her down with her own ability,really.

 

[Juju]

Yoko's quite the lovely ball of spikes,and what a novel imprint,too.

Rongyao would absolutely cut herself without hesitation if they needed to find each other. That or just...track her down with her own ability,really.

Hehe glad you like the imprint! And yes, Yoko can definitely help find missing party members in a pinch!

 

[Juju]

All the nepo babies have summoned the street-rat~

 

[JINNI]

Behold, my child! Lemme know your thoughts on the abilities and imprint. Special thanks to Silent for help with the third ability.

Hey! Just wanted to check something real quick about Joie de vivre is the “increases her strength” part meant to be literal (like physical power or damage output), or more about her ability to push through pain and exhaustion mentally?

and for the record: I absolutely love Yoko. obsessed

 

[Juju]

Hey! Just wanted to check something real quick about Joie de vivre is the “increases her strength” part meant to be literal (like physical power or damage output), or more about her ability to push through pain and exhaustion mentally?

and for the record: I absolutely love Yoko. obsessed

I was thinking more about her physical power/damage output! Pain and her ability to endure it are a natural limiter for her

And thank you so much! I'm obsessed with her too

 

[Zedalith]

Updated abilities look good! For the imprint, tbh I like what it does : D so maybe we just have to find a suitable limitation.

Something like.. Maybe she always has to go Copper -> Iron -> Silver -> Gold then back to copper again? Makes it kinda more strategic and interesting that way. It creates situations like: "The enemy's open to attacks right now but they're also prepping up a strong attack. Do I stay in copper or switch to Iron right now?"

Plus, this also solves the problem of defaulting to Gold as the most useful form. We can definitely try to figure out other workarounds, that's just what's on top of my mind right now!

Huhhh, as in no matter what, she has to start the transformation with copper? Meaning, Eat Copper > Iron > Silver > Gold as a progression. Let us say there is a situation where she is in the "copper" phase, she finds some silver she wants to eat. That silver is useless to her because she has not entered the "iron" phase? I can work with that.

 

[SavannahSmiles]

My lil menace to society has been posted

 

[Tiguidi]

Slowly working on my own problem child, I'll probably post 'em sometime during the weekend!

 

[Juju]

Slowly working on my own problem child, I'll probably post 'em sometime during the weekend!

can't wait!

 

[Edric Yuma]

hi! thank you for your interest bows

Honestlyyyy..... I do prefer a visual reference/faceclaim just to help me & other players visualize your character. Written descriptors are still totally encouraged, but a visual helps tie everything together (and helps with immersion too)! Picrews can be quite limited in style and detail, I’d be happy to DM you some recommended sites and galleries that make it easier to find a fitting faceclaim if you’d like! Let me know, and I’ll send those your way!

(also pinging Edric Yuma who i remember doesn't have an fc up---)

Done!

 

[Damafaud]

All these crazy people... my poor graduate student

 

[seasonedcat]

I finally finished my character! Thank you so so so much for everyone's suggestions. They really helped me figure out my abilities!
EDIT: let me know if there is anything I need to change or rework :3

 

[ERode]

Aaand CS finally done zzz. Went a bit in a different direction than I originally planned, but the vibes remain. VALK is God. Blessed be THEIR commandments.

 

[Nellancholy]

Quite the interesting personage,will be interesting to see such a passionate face in action

 

[Nellancholy]

With that said,4 days to the end of applications and there's already a big,engaging bunch for our GM to choose from

 

[Juju]

ERode just read your cs but I was confused about the imprint. What is a 100 yen attack vs a 500 yen attack? I'm struggling to understand what this translates to for a beam, blast, etc. It says that 500 is 5x stronger but I don't know what a 100 yen attack is. Also is there a limit to how much money she can have primed and ready at any given time?

 

[Juju]

Also seasonedcat that wound transfer ability might just save Yoko's hide. Probably more than once!

 

[ERode]

Juju Yeah, I was going to leave it to Jinni to puzzle out how much 100 vs 500 yen actually does in terms of POWER, because there's no reference for clearly offensive imprints out there, and having it be equal to the defensive capabilities of intangibility is kinda sketch. And no, there's no strict limit to how much money she can Prime, outside it being dependent on how long she's willing to soak in a hot bath for/experience short-term hypothermia. If you wanted to go strictly with Imprint-maxing, then over the course of 3 days, if all she did was soak in a hot bath irrespective of the effects on her body while staying up...she would end up with around 432,000 yen of Primed coins, separated roughly in increments of 144,000 yen at 66% efficacy, 33% efficacy, and 0% efficacy.

If Samuru, on the other hand, was being a normal person who soaks for 20 minutes in a hot tub after a day of fun, she'd come away with around 1000-2000 yen of Primed coinage that would beginning degrading towards 66% efficacy from that time until the next time she takes a bath.