Teal
Certifiably Political
Let's see. Tagging... @Elenion Aura, @NickTonCutter, @Arhra, @Maxiom, @iannesh, @Steel Shadow. Also @Girasol because I know her handle here and she's into it.
Hope you like reading. Character sheets come after setting information.
You may ask any questions you have in this thread as well.
Setting
The game is set on present day Earth. As far as most know, the world is the same as our own. However, magic is real, and so is anything that every existed in Myth - and probably pop-culture as well. Regardless, human magicians and non-humans use their powers to blend into society (or set themselves apart in hidden enclaves). As a result, the supernaturally aware are only a minority in the world. While it is forbidden to spread the knowledge of magic, no great conspiracy enforces this. Fortunately, it is remarkably difficult to induct someone into the supernatural, so it usually balances out.
Amaranth Academy - The main setting of the game is Amaranth Academy, a post-secondary institute located on the west coast of Canada (though, curiously, is its own State). Publicly, Amaranth recruits only the most exceptional students - though the definition used is broad (the wealthy, beautiful, conventionally talented and children of alumni are all welcome). Much less publicly, it is also one of the schools prepared to handle the supernaturally aware. The school's recruitment standards are lower for them, with the expectation that they will, carefully, use their powers to make up the difference.
The campus itself is a spawning collection of stone buildings, well-kept gardens, fountains, shallow streams and decorative bridges - more of a high class resort than a school. It bills itself as an All Inclusive entity, and provides all necessary materials for those living on its premises for the purposes of pursuing their education, with only nominal paperwork. Its facilities are varied and world class (except the library - no one likes that maze), to support any sort of art that its tenants may be inclined to pursue.
Most students live in the dormitories - a series of apartment complexes. Normal students are assigned 2 - 3 to a room (gender is irrelevant), which consist of a private chamber for each student, a communal living and cooking space - with full bathroom facilities attached. Students with similar needs are often housed together for convenience sake. Otherwise, the school shows no compulsions about mixing the supernatural with the mundane. The exceptionally dangerous (or wealthy, if they feel like paying) are assigned private dormitories.
The school is surrounded by the city of Ansidor to the west and pristine old growth forest to the east.
Ansidor - Built on the ocean, Ansidor is largely a vacation city - known for its beautiful scenery and mild weather. Organizations which sponsor students at Amaranth Academy - governments, companies, religious organizations, etc. - often purchase property in the city itself, to keep tabs on things (students who live off campus also usually live on their sponsor's property). The school has been known to provide money to students with high grades, though something about inflation means that those with a taste for off-campus life will probably need to work a normal job to sustain it.
Classes - Classes in Amaranth come in two forms: Homerooms and Clubs. Each student is assigned to a Homeroom Teacher who handles attendance (usually in the morning), serves as the primary point of contact between students and the Academy bureaucracy, and teaches their own unique area of specialty. Usually, the specialty of the Professor (examples: Manners and Etiquette (no longer employed); Fate and Chance, Examples and Puns), will be well-matched to the students they're assigned. New players should consider if they're being transferred from to a better or a worse fitting class one - since they'll have been a different homeroom for the last two months. Students of different years are often sorted into a single homeroom, incidentally.
Clubs are the elective classes students can take - you might think of them as faculties in a normal University. Through them, students gain access to Amaranth's world class facilities, research materials and experts in their fields. Whether students want to pursue independent study or follow more traditionally structured lecture-series is up to them, though all students are expected to assist in the upkeep and maintenance of the school's facilities (unpaid labour makes the world go round!). Grades are assigned based on a combination of dedication (participation and how well they do in facility upkeep), practical ability, and academic mastery of their discipline (history and philosophies are common elements).
Amaranth’s competitive sports teams are clubs as well. They play such luminaries of the totally normal world as Night Vale Community College, Madora Academy, Gunnerkrigg Court, Hogwarts and the like. Curiously, they always play home games.
Students are required to be members of four clubs (at least one must be physical and another academic in focus). Those working part-time jobs may reduce their number by up to two, depending on how seriously they take their work. For players interested in being Grad Students, they are only required to be members of one Club - and they must pursue independent research in it. Even so, most Grad Students maintain a few other club memberships, so they can access campus facilities access.
Player Characters
Characters can be divided between two categories: Whether they're human or not, and whether they're supernaturally aware or not. Note that there is no easy way to tell the difference between these groups at a glance - you need magic for that (obviously inhuman characters use illusions to blend in, after all).
The Non-Magical - More properly Dreamers, normal people who are unaware of magic make up the majority of the world's population. To them, Amaranth is just another school – albeit it a slightly unusual one (everyone gets lost in the library). Having grown up in the modern age, it is unlikely that a Dreamer – even having witnessed an impossible event – would immediately jump to magic is real to explain it. There are dozens of more likely explanations out there (magic is just science we don't understand yet, after all). They might even just never give it serious thought.
In spite of this, normal people do possess supernatural powers - they just don't know about it. Dreaming magic is subtle and responds to both emotion, need and external stimuli. Often, it takes the form of reality and perception manipulation (always outside of their own perception). Typically, it also accords to the Dreamer's interests - an actress might appear more perfect while on stage, a fencer might find they always have a sword (or at least a sturdy stick) when they need it, a writer might find their computer always saves their work, and a director might have a sixth sense for interesting film subjects. Regardless of the specifics, it is always outside of the Dreamer's awareness. If necessary, a Dreamer's powers will influence their memory and perception to keep themselves hidden. So long as a Dreamer remains unaware of the supernatural nature of their powers, their powers are not considered "magic" by counterspells and the like.
The Supernaturally Aware: Properly, the Awakened, are the minority of people who can control their powers, and are aware of the supernatural nature behind the world. The process of Awakening varies by culture, but is always long and cannot occur without a mentor of some kind (generally treated as an off-screen affair). As a result, the Awakened are always linked to a supernatural organization – a school, association, church, tribes, etc. – which police themselves and offer guidance to their members. Schools like Amaranth are often used as a dry run for the newly Awakened – a test to see if they can blend into the modern world and use their magic responsibly. Classes in Amaranth are designed to challenge the Awakened and require them to use their abilities to keep up with the workload (Dreamers do this instinctively).
For Demons (anything that isn't quite human), the range of powers they can use is determined by the abilities ascribed to their species in lore (myth, legend or popular culture). Most can't use all the powers their myths provide, though; they're specialists by nature. As demons mature, they develop affinities (usually determined by their personality) for particular aspects of their racial set. Provided they stay within their individual specialty, magic comes much easier for demons than humans.
All demons of a particular species also share a handful of bonuses and weaknesses. The bonuses are usually minor, often double-edged, and a result of the physiological differences between them and humans. New limbs are at the high end of the spectrum, since new actions become possible with a prehensile tail or wings. Lower end bonuses are a different preferred temperature or an unusual diet. Weaknesses are usually come in the form of allergies (often severe) to unusual things - like silver for werewolves. There's no inherent trade-off between weaknesses and bonuses, and unusual limbs aside, without using their powers demons still are largely bound by the human spectrum of potential.
Humans do not have a set of racial powers. In order to use magic, they need to study a particular discipline of supernatural manipulation - in RPG terms; they need to adopt a Class. The spells and abilities they can use are limited by the type of class they adopt - much like a Demon's are by their species (there are also cultural variations within particular classes - like Spanish and Mexican Witches). Supernatural disciplines do not need to conceptualize their abilities as "magic" either - Wizards or magicians are common enough, but Priests (who draw on divine power), chi-using martial artists or mad scientists wielding high levels of technology work just as well. A class is valid if it provides a template of supernatural abilities for the human to use, essentially.
Generally speaking, Humans will learn their class from the group that Awakens them. Learning an art takes many years though; there is nothing natural about magic for humans. "Talents" for humans in magic are usually just areas of particular interest or places where they possess unusual insights. Still, because all magic is more or less equally difficult for them, they have a free hand to decide what sort of powers they learn to use - which gives them a lot more choices than demons. Some even elect to study multiple magical arts - though they need to find a willing teacher of a new discipline first. Given the clandestine nature of magic in this world, that's easier said than done.
Exceptions
Dreaming Demons - While most Dreamers are (probably) human, it is very possible for demons to be Dreamers as well. Typically, they're either spontaneous mutants (psychics), or the adopted children of an unknowing human family. The powers of Dreaming Demons follow all the rules that a normal Dreamer's would, but must remain within the set appropriate to their true species. Dreaming Demons usually display a watered down set of racial bonuses and weaknesses as well - and, even if they should have extra limbs, they won't be able to make use of them (they're probably phased out of existence or something). Unlike a normal Dreamer, their powers are somewhat effected by counter-magic.
Demon Wizards - Human supernatural arts are designed with humans in mind. They work because Human magic naturally is of the Empty element - which allows it to be reshaped into an almost infinite number of variations. Demon magic, by contrast, is fundamentally shaped already - which vastly limits the forms of spells it can be shaped into again. Still, demons with particularly limited talents (or a rare affinity for a form of human arts), will usually still be able to find ways to augment their natural powers by studying human arts - provided they can find a teacher. Learning a human art is about as difficult for a demon as it is for a human.
Greys - A colloquial (usually pejorative) term for Dreamers who engage in rituals that could be associated with magic, or display a limited belief in the not-quite-natural. "Greys" are the television psychics, tarot card-readers and true believers of religions of the world. The degree to which they believe in their powers vary, but even those who are convinced the whole thing is hogwash can evoke magical effects through the rituals they practice. However, their powers rely on plausible deniability to affect the world around them. If they were so inclined to test them, they would find their abilities always fail - inexperienced Greys commonly perish before they learn this lesson. They're named for the grey space their powers occupy between Awakened and Dreaming powers - making them somewhat subject to counter-magic, incidentally.
Magic
Mentors and Supernatural Organizations - To play an Awakened character, players need to have a mentor to introduce them to magic. Mentors need to be Awakened themselves, and usually will have a connection - however tenuous - to a larger collective of magic-users. There are any number of forms a particular organization can take - hidden villages, churches, schools, etc. - but most will be based around a particular supernatural art (or a related set). Unless a Demon grows up in a hidden village where magic is treated as common place, they need mentors too.
Mentors are also responsible for dealing with their students, if they prove to be problem magicians - though if a mentor is unable to do so, the broader organization assumes responsibility. It is for this reason that Supernatural Organizations purchase land in Ansidor - if a student needs to be dealt with, the school will send word to them. If this is not possible, Amaranth itself must deal with them.
Government Organizations deserve special mention, since every government has a secret department or ministry responsible for dealing with supernatural threats to the State. In countries with a ruling family, a member of the Royal Family usually heads this group. Republican countries show much more variance - but most Heads of State are at least a little aware of the existence of these departments. Regardless, in addition to fielding secret agents to neutralize dangerous mages, Government Organizations also generally conduct research into the Supernatural itself.
Magical Exhaustion - A quick lesson in metaphysics: All things in the universe exist because they desire to exist. Supernatural power (however conceptualized) makes this desire a reality. Magic diverts this power from its normal function. This is safe in small amounts, but as more power is expended, the body breaks down - blood will begin to leak (sometimes explosively) from your skin, you'll feel drained, get headaches, your bones may break within apparent reason and you might pass out. This is called Magical Exhaustion. Using extremely large amounts of magic at once will hasten this.
I'll let you know where your character's energy-levels are as necessary. Dreamer powers will automatically shut-off before they get too close to the bottom (useless they're in mortal peril). The Awakened can always push themselves further - until they die, anyway.
Auras: An aura is composed of a sensation and a colour – whenever supernatural power is used, that sensation permeates the air and, if enough of it is used, iridescent colours will become visible around the caster and spell as well. Those sensitive to magic (determined by how empathic a character is, essentially) can detect these things after the caster departs. The truly sensitive are able to discern additional information from these traces, such as the emotion or personality of the caster – though they can be easily overwhelmed by such things in live battle. The insensitive may not detect auras at all.
Rules and Combat
Hopefully I don't need to say this on a roleplaying forum, but no meta-gaming, power-gaming, god-modding or what have you. If I see this from new players, I'll pull you aside and ask you to edit accordingly. Actions that break character, control other PCs/NPCs directly or just generally are impossible will be nullified during my posts either way.
Combat - Very brief tip, combat in Magical Teacher Professor Landry - especially melee exchanges - is fast and brutal. Your opponents may be stronger, faster or smarter than you - and you really won't be able to tell until the battle begins. Remain calm, think things through and play to your character's strengths. Nothing in this world is truly invincible - but fighting a master martial artist in straight-up combat probably won't work. It'll be up to you to figure out what will.
Modern Weaponry - Since this is an RP set in modern times, weapons like guns and grenades are available for use. Without going into detail, they will be balanced with weapons like swords and bows.
Non-General Knowledge: Similar to reaction commands, I'll sometimes send you messages containing information that wouldn't be known to all the characters. Please keep this to yourself as much as you can - if you're going to reveal it, do it in your game posts.
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Character Sheets!
Name: What's Your Name? First and Last required. Make them culturally appropriate (so do a little research - http://www.behindthename.com/ and http://surnames.behindthename.com/ are favorite resources of mine. )
Race: Tell me your character's species. You should probably do a little research on it too - I might request a link to your resource.
Age: Approximately, how old is your character?
Aura: Select a color and a sensation that will represent your character's magic signature.
Appearance: Tell me how your character looks. Hair colour, style, skin tone, build and eye colour are staples of what I like. Include any accessories they always wear too.
Primary Ability
This is your character's main power. It allows them to do what they do best. Primary Abilities are straightforward powers - like the ability to manipulate heat is the given example - which can have a variety of applications, with a little creativity. The precise mechanic here is important - all Healers heal, but how your healer does it (with herbs, medicine, holy magic, etc.) is what matters (the mechanic should reflect your character's race/class). Primary abilities are energy efficient and easy for your character to use - unless they push their ability to its outer limits.
Secondary Abilities
Secondary abilities are more specific and limited powers that let characters go beyond their primary mechanic. If your Primary ability allows you to literally manipulate heat, a Secondary ability might allow you to cast a particular kind of conceptual heat spell. Unlike Primary abilities - where the manipulation of heat grants the ability to create all sorts of effects - a Secondary ability granting a conceptual heat spell would only allow them to cast that specific effect. Secondary abilities cost more energy and require more focus than a Primary ability.
Players get four Secondary Abilities. In order to do well in Amaranth, these abilities should correspond to the clubs your character is enrolled in - the best kind will directly improve their performance in part of it, though just building a spell off of what they learn will give them a small boost too. The simplest structure here has one club for one ability, but overlap isn't uncommon. If there's enough overlap, you can take some abilities disconnected from the clubs without cost. If the ability is inspired/created for a club, please note it somewhere in its description or at the front.
Obviously inhuman characters will need to use a Secondary to hide their inhuman characteristics, unless their Primary covers it or they're prepared to use a mundane method to do it. Charms made by someone else can be used as a workaround here - though this is the only kind of item like this I'll guarantee providing, since they can be used to work around a demon's thematic limitations. If the item is within their theme though, it should be fine.
Remember to keep a Demon's talents in mind when selecting their Secondary skills.
Secret Art
Optionally, characters may have an additional power classified as a Secret Art. These are powers that characters possess which are "secrets" for one reason or another. Super Mode-style abilities generally will not qualify, unless the price is lasting and hefty. More creative, but still game changing, options are advised.
A Secret Art may be specified after Character Generation (signifying the character's continued research). However, once a Player sets one, it cannot be easily changed - these are effectively the top of a character's craft and take years of study to create.
Dreamers sometimes have Secret Arts, but as their powers are already secrets, these that take that to the next level. In that spirit, I'll be issuing them to characters.
Bio: The backstory - tell me about your character's history and who they are. Ordered this way so I can reference powers easily during the game.
Club List
List your elective clubs (minimum 4) or part-time jobs (maximum 2). A minimum of one physical and one academic club is required. As noted above, Amaranth has a club for virtually every possible hobby and area of study, so just pick activities your character would like to do. I may rename the club itself during the approval process, but most subject areas are valid.
Put these clubs in order of priority to your character. If there is a tie, clubs where they have more talent take priority. Grad Students must specify one club (their highest priority) as the focus of their independent research. They may have additional clubs if they want, as outlined above.
Relationships: Create some NPCs for your character to interact with! Roommates, friends, parents, rivals, teachers – whatever you think is important to your character’s design. Aim for some variety! Don't make them all love you. =D
Below is an example character, followed by a clean template. Enjoy!
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Name: Jennifer Erik
Race: Pyrokinetic
Age: 19
Aura: The colour red; a feeling of heat
Appearance: A red-haired young woman of around average height (5'5~), Jen's blue-eyed, fair skinned and has a lithe-build from her Amaranth sports training. She keeps her hair boyishly short so it doesn't get in her eyes, and usually carries a red gym bag (there's almost always a practice sword in there).
What follows are two different ability sets for the same character - so you get an idea of both an Awakened and Dreaming character. Player characters will just be one or the other.
Primary Ability (Awakened Set)
Intense Heat - Jen's her control over heat extremely fine - though only in her immediate vicinity. Jen typically condenses heat enough to create a sword for herself, that's solid enough to parry and - obviously - very hot. Temperature manipulation can be done as well, though she's much better at focused instead of diffuse heat. Her range, however, is limited to her arm's length + a sword's tip.
Secondary Ability - Blush
A curse laid through a meeting of the meeting of the eyes. The victim's body temperature soars - causing discomfort, profuse sweating and increasing the rate of their energy consumption. Hardly a fair tactic, but during duels or serious battle, very, very useful. If the victim rests, the effect are moderated - they'll just feel a little flushed. Wears off eventually.
Secondary Ability - Revitalize
Jen may not be a big reader, but she's come to appreciate the power of the written word. This spell lets her restore her own energy by drawing out the emotional heats present in a particular work of writing. Good for a quick boost (Jen uses it in all her clubs), but has the understandable side effect of effecting her emotions. Jen also needs to have studied the piece before she can use this, and each use diminishes the amount of strength she can derive from it. No impact on magical exhaustion.
Secondary Ability - Mirage Displacement
A veil of illusion which distorts Jen's location by a few inches in a logical direction (she might be seen to slide by a little further than she actually did - for instance). Strictly visual, but a lot more stable than you'd expect; Jen needs to be able to use this to cheat in exhibitions too, after all, so she can't have people really noticing. Doesn't give off heat.
Secondary Ability - Internal Temperature Mastery
Don't try to upset Jen's internal temperature with curses - this little charm reasserts her normal body temperature, nullifying such effects. Minor, but you'd be surprised how many Awakened students cheat like this.
Secret Art - Knowledge Devouring Flames
A spell that sets psychic flames to devour information - and commit it to Jen's memory for a brief period of time. With a lot of concentration, Jen can use it to lift specific information from a textbook - like years, dates or names - without ruining the whole thing. The more information she seeks though, the more of the source that gets charred away, and the more magic she needs to put out. Though generally used to cram for a test, this ability has a lot of applications (though the more information involved, the more power she needs). She needs to touch the target for it to work - making it rather poorly suited to battle.
*
Primary Ability (Dreaming Set)
Ignite - Jen's a competitive girl - and her Primary ability lets her take it to the next level. When engaged in intense single competition with a target - like fencing - the psychic-side of Jen's Pyrokinesis activates, inflaming her spirit and driving her combat abilities up. Practically speaking though, it just lets her fight at her absolute physical and mental peak.
Secondary Ability - Overheat (Fencing/Mixed Martial Arts)
Similar to her Ignite ability, when Jen's engaged in combat with a single enemy, her psychic powers will amplify the heat their body produces. It's not exactly fair, but the added heat is distracting (sweat in your eyes, discomfort) and increases the rate of that their stamina is consumed. Most of the time, this ability's impact is only minor - Jen needs to be incredibly serious about a particular fight for it to seriously tip the scales.
Secondary Ability - Speed Reading (English Studies)
Something like Ignite, but tuned to mental activity. Jen inflames her own ability to process information - allowing her to increase the rate of her own reading speed, or just how fast she solves math problems. She needs to be "in the zone" for this ability to work, so it often takes a little while to trigger, and while its active, she's totally focused on the task at hand. Useful for all her classes.
Secondary Ability - Warding Heat (Mixed Martial Arts)
Intimidation is a surprisingly valuable tool when you're fighting at a disadvantage - for Jen, that happens frighteningly often when she's unarmed, especially against the Masters in Amaranth's Martial Arts clubs. Warding Heat activates itself to supplement Jen's intimidation actions - typically her ready stances, especially when she's bluffing - making her seem as intimidating as a wildfire.
Secondary Ability - Temperature Moderation (Swimming)
Jen's body adjusts its internal temperature with lightning speed when she enters a pool, which lets her get right to the business at hand: Swimming. Offers some measure of protection against temperature-based spells - especially the invisible kind. Also works for hot-tubs and showers - though here it just makes her pleasantly warm the whole time.
Secret Art - ?????
Bio: Jennifer, or Jen to her friends, is an example character and probably not a real person. For the sake of example, two versions of Jen are presented; one where she is an Awakened Pyrokinetic, and one where she is a Dreaming (without me having to make two characters).
In either timeline, Jen's life is mostly normal. She grew up an only child in an ordinary two parent home in an unremarkable suburb somewhere in Canada. Competitive by nature, Jen took up sports in school - but didn't excel in anything that wasn't a solo competition (the whole "team-player" thing wasn't something she could figure out). Fencing became her favorite - and was the basis for her acceptance into Amaranth Academy (also, her father was an alumnus).
In one timeline, her father Awakened her before she left - in the other, she's still Dreaming (perhaps he thought she wasn't responsible enough for magic - or just didn't want to continue the tradition). Either way, she's in Amaranth now, and studying under Cayce Study, Professor of Examples and Puns. Suspecting a joke in this, she joined the English club to investigate - and wasn't very impressed when she figured it out.
Club List
Fencing Club - Jen's specialty. Though she practices frequently, fighting the "geniuses" of Amaranth are always difficult (a lot of them cheat). Still, she enjoys the academic components (like learning to handle different types of blades and the history of swordsmanship). Cleaning's a little boring, but at least she gets to do it alone. As an Awakened Student, she brings a little poetry along to help her get through it. Jen generally refrains from cheating here, though if she needs to, she'll start with Blush, then Mirage Aura - and finally start messing with the temperature around her. As a Dreamer, her Ignite and Overheat abilities get her by - Warding Heat and Temperature Moderation also play in, but less often.
English Studies Club - Originally joined on the advice of her Homeroom Professor, Jen has since decided it actually isn't that bad. She's not a great writer, but reading can be pretty fun! The class also studies English culture and history, which isn't as boring as you'd think (sometimes they talk about swords). She has to work harder at this than her physical clubs, since she's not as academically gifted. Only her Revitalize and Speed Reading abilities really help her here.
Swimming Club - Mostly an excuse to relax and unwind, Jen also does speed swimming - but she doesn't take it very seriously. Still, she's physically strong enough to scrape by (she does better as a Dreamer). As an Awakened Student, her Primary ability is what she uses mainly - just to warm up the water at first and dry off quickly. As a Dreamer, Ignite and Temperature Moderation both improve her performance (raise her grade to B+).
Mixed Martial Arts Club - Another fighting club. Jen doesn't enjoy it any where near as much as Fencing, but its a solo competition too and focuses on physical fitness so the training carries over a bit. Pretty much everything in Fencing applies, but she's not as into it - though she is more willing to cheat proactively as an Awakened student.
Relationships
Cayce Study - Professor of Examples and Puns, Cayce is a questionably real individual within Amaranth's faculty. Jen doesn't have an especially remarkable relationship with him - he's just her teacher.
Janet P. Lane - A normal girl who is also in Jen's class. Professor Study seems to like grouping them together for some reason, but as you might expect from two average girls, they're just acquaintances with an unremarkable relationship. Still, it was Janet who suggested that Jen should look into the English club (Janet, of course, already understood the joke). Might be a distant relation to a famous news reporter.
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Name:
Race:
Age:
Aura:
Appearance:
Primary Ability
Secondary Ability
Secondary Ability
Secondary Ability
Secondary Ability
Secret Art:
Bio:
Club List
Club Name
Club Name
Club Name
Club Name
Relationships:
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And that's that - questions, as I said at the top, are welcome.
Hope you like reading. Character sheets come after setting information.
You may ask any questions you have in this thread as well.
Setting
The game is set on present day Earth. As far as most know, the world is the same as our own. However, magic is real, and so is anything that every existed in Myth - and probably pop-culture as well. Regardless, human magicians and non-humans use their powers to blend into society (or set themselves apart in hidden enclaves). As a result, the supernaturally aware are only a minority in the world. While it is forbidden to spread the knowledge of magic, no great conspiracy enforces this. Fortunately, it is remarkably difficult to induct someone into the supernatural, so it usually balances out.
Amaranth Academy - The main setting of the game is Amaranth Academy, a post-secondary institute located on the west coast of Canada (though, curiously, is its own State). Publicly, Amaranth recruits only the most exceptional students - though the definition used is broad (the wealthy, beautiful, conventionally talented and children of alumni are all welcome). Much less publicly, it is also one of the schools prepared to handle the supernaturally aware. The school's recruitment standards are lower for them, with the expectation that they will, carefully, use their powers to make up the difference.
The campus itself is a spawning collection of stone buildings, well-kept gardens, fountains, shallow streams and decorative bridges - more of a high class resort than a school. It bills itself as an All Inclusive entity, and provides all necessary materials for those living on its premises for the purposes of pursuing their education, with only nominal paperwork. Its facilities are varied and world class (except the library - no one likes that maze), to support any sort of art that its tenants may be inclined to pursue.
Most students live in the dormitories - a series of apartment complexes. Normal students are assigned 2 - 3 to a room (gender is irrelevant), which consist of a private chamber for each student, a communal living and cooking space - with full bathroom facilities attached. Students with similar needs are often housed together for convenience sake. Otherwise, the school shows no compulsions about mixing the supernatural with the mundane. The exceptionally dangerous (or wealthy, if they feel like paying) are assigned private dormitories.
The school is surrounded by the city of Ansidor to the west and pristine old growth forest to the east.
Ansidor - Built on the ocean, Ansidor is largely a vacation city - known for its beautiful scenery and mild weather. Organizations which sponsor students at Amaranth Academy - governments, companies, religious organizations, etc. - often purchase property in the city itself, to keep tabs on things (students who live off campus also usually live on their sponsor's property). The school has been known to provide money to students with high grades, though something about inflation means that those with a taste for off-campus life will probably need to work a normal job to sustain it.
Classes - Classes in Amaranth come in two forms: Homerooms and Clubs. Each student is assigned to a Homeroom Teacher who handles attendance (usually in the morning), serves as the primary point of contact between students and the Academy bureaucracy, and teaches their own unique area of specialty. Usually, the specialty of the Professor (examples: Manners and Etiquette (no longer employed); Fate and Chance, Examples and Puns), will be well-matched to the students they're assigned. New players should consider if they're being transferred from to a better or a worse fitting class one - since they'll have been a different homeroom for the last two months. Students of different years are often sorted into a single homeroom, incidentally.
Clubs are the elective classes students can take - you might think of them as faculties in a normal University. Through them, students gain access to Amaranth's world class facilities, research materials and experts in their fields. Whether students want to pursue independent study or follow more traditionally structured lecture-series is up to them, though all students are expected to assist in the upkeep and maintenance of the school's facilities (unpaid labour makes the world go round!). Grades are assigned based on a combination of dedication (participation and how well they do in facility upkeep), practical ability, and academic mastery of their discipline (history and philosophies are common elements).
Amaranth’s competitive sports teams are clubs as well. They play such luminaries of the totally normal world as Night Vale Community College, Madora Academy, Gunnerkrigg Court, Hogwarts and the like. Curiously, they always play home games.
Students are required to be members of four clubs (at least one must be physical and another academic in focus). Those working part-time jobs may reduce their number by up to two, depending on how seriously they take their work. For players interested in being Grad Students, they are only required to be members of one Club - and they must pursue independent research in it. Even so, most Grad Students maintain a few other club memberships, so they can access campus facilities access.
Player Characters
Characters can be divided between two categories: Whether they're human or not, and whether they're supernaturally aware or not. Note that there is no easy way to tell the difference between these groups at a glance - you need magic for that (obviously inhuman characters use illusions to blend in, after all).
The Non-Magical - More properly Dreamers, normal people who are unaware of magic make up the majority of the world's population. To them, Amaranth is just another school – albeit it a slightly unusual one (everyone gets lost in the library). Having grown up in the modern age, it is unlikely that a Dreamer – even having witnessed an impossible event – would immediately jump to magic is real to explain it. There are dozens of more likely explanations out there (magic is just science we don't understand yet, after all). They might even just never give it serious thought.
In spite of this, normal people do possess supernatural powers - they just don't know about it. Dreaming magic is subtle and responds to both emotion, need and external stimuli. Often, it takes the form of reality and perception manipulation (always outside of their own perception). Typically, it also accords to the Dreamer's interests - an actress might appear more perfect while on stage, a fencer might find they always have a sword (or at least a sturdy stick) when they need it, a writer might find their computer always saves their work, and a director might have a sixth sense for interesting film subjects. Regardless of the specifics, it is always outside of the Dreamer's awareness. If necessary, a Dreamer's powers will influence their memory and perception to keep themselves hidden. So long as a Dreamer remains unaware of the supernatural nature of their powers, their powers are not considered "magic" by counterspells and the like.
The Supernaturally Aware: Properly, the Awakened, are the minority of people who can control their powers, and are aware of the supernatural nature behind the world. The process of Awakening varies by culture, but is always long and cannot occur without a mentor of some kind (generally treated as an off-screen affair). As a result, the Awakened are always linked to a supernatural organization – a school, association, church, tribes, etc. – which police themselves and offer guidance to their members. Schools like Amaranth are often used as a dry run for the newly Awakened – a test to see if they can blend into the modern world and use their magic responsibly. Classes in Amaranth are designed to challenge the Awakened and require them to use their abilities to keep up with the workload (Dreamers do this instinctively).
For Demons (anything that isn't quite human), the range of powers they can use is determined by the abilities ascribed to their species in lore (myth, legend or popular culture). Most can't use all the powers their myths provide, though; they're specialists by nature. As demons mature, they develop affinities (usually determined by their personality) for particular aspects of their racial set. Provided they stay within their individual specialty, magic comes much easier for demons than humans.
All demons of a particular species also share a handful of bonuses and weaknesses. The bonuses are usually minor, often double-edged, and a result of the physiological differences between them and humans. New limbs are at the high end of the spectrum, since new actions become possible with a prehensile tail or wings. Lower end bonuses are a different preferred temperature or an unusual diet. Weaknesses are usually come in the form of allergies (often severe) to unusual things - like silver for werewolves. There's no inherent trade-off between weaknesses and bonuses, and unusual limbs aside, without using their powers demons still are largely bound by the human spectrum of potential.
Humans do not have a set of racial powers. In order to use magic, they need to study a particular discipline of supernatural manipulation - in RPG terms; they need to adopt a Class. The spells and abilities they can use are limited by the type of class they adopt - much like a Demon's are by their species (there are also cultural variations within particular classes - like Spanish and Mexican Witches). Supernatural disciplines do not need to conceptualize their abilities as "magic" either - Wizards or magicians are common enough, but Priests (who draw on divine power), chi-using martial artists or mad scientists wielding high levels of technology work just as well. A class is valid if it provides a template of supernatural abilities for the human to use, essentially.
Generally speaking, Humans will learn their class from the group that Awakens them. Learning an art takes many years though; there is nothing natural about magic for humans. "Talents" for humans in magic are usually just areas of particular interest or places where they possess unusual insights. Still, because all magic is more or less equally difficult for them, they have a free hand to decide what sort of powers they learn to use - which gives them a lot more choices than demons. Some even elect to study multiple magical arts - though they need to find a willing teacher of a new discipline first. Given the clandestine nature of magic in this world, that's easier said than done.
Exceptions
Dreaming Demons - While most Dreamers are (probably) human, it is very possible for demons to be Dreamers as well. Typically, they're either spontaneous mutants (psychics), or the adopted children of an unknowing human family. The powers of Dreaming Demons follow all the rules that a normal Dreamer's would, but must remain within the set appropriate to their true species. Dreaming Demons usually display a watered down set of racial bonuses and weaknesses as well - and, even if they should have extra limbs, they won't be able to make use of them (they're probably phased out of existence or something). Unlike a normal Dreamer, their powers are somewhat effected by counter-magic.
Demon Wizards - Human supernatural arts are designed with humans in mind. They work because Human magic naturally is of the Empty element - which allows it to be reshaped into an almost infinite number of variations. Demon magic, by contrast, is fundamentally shaped already - which vastly limits the forms of spells it can be shaped into again. Still, demons with particularly limited talents (or a rare affinity for a form of human arts), will usually still be able to find ways to augment their natural powers by studying human arts - provided they can find a teacher. Learning a human art is about as difficult for a demon as it is for a human.
Greys - A colloquial (usually pejorative) term for Dreamers who engage in rituals that could be associated with magic, or display a limited belief in the not-quite-natural. "Greys" are the television psychics, tarot card-readers and true believers of religions of the world. The degree to which they believe in their powers vary, but even those who are convinced the whole thing is hogwash can evoke magical effects through the rituals they practice. However, their powers rely on plausible deniability to affect the world around them. If they were so inclined to test them, they would find their abilities always fail - inexperienced Greys commonly perish before they learn this lesson. They're named for the grey space their powers occupy between Awakened and Dreaming powers - making them somewhat subject to counter-magic, incidentally.
Magic
Mentors and Supernatural Organizations - To play an Awakened character, players need to have a mentor to introduce them to magic. Mentors need to be Awakened themselves, and usually will have a connection - however tenuous - to a larger collective of magic-users. There are any number of forms a particular organization can take - hidden villages, churches, schools, etc. - but most will be based around a particular supernatural art (or a related set). Unless a Demon grows up in a hidden village where magic is treated as common place, they need mentors too.
Mentors are also responsible for dealing with their students, if they prove to be problem magicians - though if a mentor is unable to do so, the broader organization assumes responsibility. It is for this reason that Supernatural Organizations purchase land in Ansidor - if a student needs to be dealt with, the school will send word to them. If this is not possible, Amaranth itself must deal with them.
Government Organizations deserve special mention, since every government has a secret department or ministry responsible for dealing with supernatural threats to the State. In countries with a ruling family, a member of the Royal Family usually heads this group. Republican countries show much more variance - but most Heads of State are at least a little aware of the existence of these departments. Regardless, in addition to fielding secret agents to neutralize dangerous mages, Government Organizations also generally conduct research into the Supernatural itself.
Magical Exhaustion - A quick lesson in metaphysics: All things in the universe exist because they desire to exist. Supernatural power (however conceptualized) makes this desire a reality. Magic diverts this power from its normal function. This is safe in small amounts, but as more power is expended, the body breaks down - blood will begin to leak (sometimes explosively) from your skin, you'll feel drained, get headaches, your bones may break within apparent reason and you might pass out. This is called Magical Exhaustion. Using extremely large amounts of magic at once will hasten this.
I'll let you know where your character's energy-levels are as necessary. Dreamer powers will automatically shut-off before they get too close to the bottom (useless they're in mortal peril). The Awakened can always push themselves further - until they die, anyway.
Auras: An aura is composed of a sensation and a colour – whenever supernatural power is used, that sensation permeates the air and, if enough of it is used, iridescent colours will become visible around the caster and spell as well. Those sensitive to magic (determined by how empathic a character is, essentially) can detect these things after the caster departs. The truly sensitive are able to discern additional information from these traces, such as the emotion or personality of the caster – though they can be easily overwhelmed by such things in live battle. The insensitive may not detect auras at all.
Rules and Combat
Hopefully I don't need to say this on a roleplaying forum, but no meta-gaming, power-gaming, god-modding or what have you. If I see this from new players, I'll pull you aside and ask you to edit accordingly. Actions that break character, control other PCs/NPCs directly or just generally are impossible will be nullified during my posts either way.
Combat - Very brief tip, combat in Magical Teacher Professor Landry - especially melee exchanges - is fast and brutal. Your opponents may be stronger, faster or smarter than you - and you really won't be able to tell until the battle begins. Remain calm, think things through and play to your character's strengths. Nothing in this world is truly invincible - but fighting a master martial artist in straight-up combat probably won't work. It'll be up to you to figure out what will.
Modern Weaponry - Since this is an RP set in modern times, weapons like guns and grenades are available for use. Without going into detail, they will be balanced with weapons like swords and bows.
Non-General Knowledge: Similar to reaction commands, I'll sometimes send you messages containing information that wouldn't be known to all the characters. Please keep this to yourself as much as you can - if you're going to reveal it, do it in your game posts.
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Character Sheets!
Name: What's Your Name? First and Last required. Make them culturally appropriate (so do a little research - http://www.behindthename.com/ and http://surnames.behindthename.com/ are favorite resources of mine. )
Race: Tell me your character's species. You should probably do a little research on it too - I might request a link to your resource.
Age: Approximately, how old is your character?
Aura: Select a color and a sensation that will represent your character's magic signature.
Appearance: Tell me how your character looks. Hair colour, style, skin tone, build and eye colour are staples of what I like. Include any accessories they always wear too.
Primary Ability
This is your character's main power. It allows them to do what they do best. Primary Abilities are straightforward powers - like the ability to manipulate heat is the given example - which can have a variety of applications, with a little creativity. The precise mechanic here is important - all Healers heal, but how your healer does it (with herbs, medicine, holy magic, etc.) is what matters (the mechanic should reflect your character's race/class). Primary abilities are energy efficient and easy for your character to use - unless they push their ability to its outer limits.
Secondary Abilities
Secondary abilities are more specific and limited powers that let characters go beyond their primary mechanic. If your Primary ability allows you to literally manipulate heat, a Secondary ability might allow you to cast a particular kind of conceptual heat spell. Unlike Primary abilities - where the manipulation of heat grants the ability to create all sorts of effects - a Secondary ability granting a conceptual heat spell would only allow them to cast that specific effect. Secondary abilities cost more energy and require more focus than a Primary ability.
Players get four Secondary Abilities. In order to do well in Amaranth, these abilities should correspond to the clubs your character is enrolled in - the best kind will directly improve their performance in part of it, though just building a spell off of what they learn will give them a small boost too. The simplest structure here has one club for one ability, but overlap isn't uncommon. If there's enough overlap, you can take some abilities disconnected from the clubs without cost. If the ability is inspired/created for a club, please note it somewhere in its description or at the front.
Obviously inhuman characters will need to use a Secondary to hide their inhuman characteristics, unless their Primary covers it or they're prepared to use a mundane method to do it. Charms made by someone else can be used as a workaround here - though this is the only kind of item like this I'll guarantee providing, since they can be used to work around a demon's thematic limitations. If the item is within their theme though, it should be fine.
Remember to keep a Demon's talents in mind when selecting their Secondary skills.
Secret Art
Optionally, characters may have an additional power classified as a Secret Art. These are powers that characters possess which are "secrets" for one reason or another. Super Mode-style abilities generally will not qualify, unless the price is lasting and hefty. More creative, but still game changing, options are advised.
A Secret Art may be specified after Character Generation (signifying the character's continued research). However, once a Player sets one, it cannot be easily changed - these are effectively the top of a character's craft and take years of study to create.
Dreamers sometimes have Secret Arts, but as their powers are already secrets, these that take that to the next level. In that spirit, I'll be issuing them to characters.
Bio: The backstory - tell me about your character's history and who they are. Ordered this way so I can reference powers easily during the game.
Club List
List your elective clubs (minimum 4) or part-time jobs (maximum 2). A minimum of one physical and one academic club is required. As noted above, Amaranth has a club for virtually every possible hobby and area of study, so just pick activities your character would like to do. I may rename the club itself during the approval process, but most subject areas are valid.
Put these clubs in order of priority to your character. If there is a tie, clubs where they have more talent take priority. Grad Students must specify one club (their highest priority) as the focus of their independent research. They may have additional clubs if they want, as outlined above.
Relationships: Create some NPCs for your character to interact with! Roommates, friends, parents, rivals, teachers – whatever you think is important to your character’s design. Aim for some variety! Don't make them all love you. =D
Below is an example character, followed by a clean template. Enjoy!
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Name: Jennifer Erik
Race: Pyrokinetic
Age: 19
Aura: The colour red; a feeling of heat
Appearance: A red-haired young woman of around average height (5'5~), Jen's blue-eyed, fair skinned and has a lithe-build from her Amaranth sports training. She keeps her hair boyishly short so it doesn't get in her eyes, and usually carries a red gym bag (there's almost always a practice sword in there).
What follows are two different ability sets for the same character - so you get an idea of both an Awakened and Dreaming character. Player characters will just be one or the other.
Primary Ability (Awakened Set)
Intense Heat - Jen's her control over heat extremely fine - though only in her immediate vicinity. Jen typically condenses heat enough to create a sword for herself, that's solid enough to parry and - obviously - very hot. Temperature manipulation can be done as well, though she's much better at focused instead of diffuse heat. Her range, however, is limited to her arm's length + a sword's tip.
Secondary Ability - Blush
A curse laid through a meeting of the meeting of the eyes. The victim's body temperature soars - causing discomfort, profuse sweating and increasing the rate of their energy consumption. Hardly a fair tactic, but during duels or serious battle, very, very useful. If the victim rests, the effect are moderated - they'll just feel a little flushed. Wears off eventually.
Secondary Ability - Revitalize
Jen may not be a big reader, but she's come to appreciate the power of the written word. This spell lets her restore her own energy by drawing out the emotional heats present in a particular work of writing. Good for a quick boost (Jen uses it in all her clubs), but has the understandable side effect of effecting her emotions. Jen also needs to have studied the piece before she can use this, and each use diminishes the amount of strength she can derive from it. No impact on magical exhaustion.
Secondary Ability - Mirage Displacement
A veil of illusion which distorts Jen's location by a few inches in a logical direction (she might be seen to slide by a little further than she actually did - for instance). Strictly visual, but a lot more stable than you'd expect; Jen needs to be able to use this to cheat in exhibitions too, after all, so she can't have people really noticing. Doesn't give off heat.
Secondary Ability - Internal Temperature Mastery
Don't try to upset Jen's internal temperature with curses - this little charm reasserts her normal body temperature, nullifying such effects. Minor, but you'd be surprised how many Awakened students cheat like this.
Secret Art - Knowledge Devouring Flames
A spell that sets psychic flames to devour information - and commit it to Jen's memory for a brief period of time. With a lot of concentration, Jen can use it to lift specific information from a textbook - like years, dates or names - without ruining the whole thing. The more information she seeks though, the more of the source that gets charred away, and the more magic she needs to put out. Though generally used to cram for a test, this ability has a lot of applications (though the more information involved, the more power she needs). She needs to touch the target for it to work - making it rather poorly suited to battle.
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Primary Ability (Dreaming Set)
Ignite - Jen's a competitive girl - and her Primary ability lets her take it to the next level. When engaged in intense single competition with a target - like fencing - the psychic-side of Jen's Pyrokinesis activates, inflaming her spirit and driving her combat abilities up. Practically speaking though, it just lets her fight at her absolute physical and mental peak.
Secondary Ability - Overheat (Fencing/Mixed Martial Arts)
Similar to her Ignite ability, when Jen's engaged in combat with a single enemy, her psychic powers will amplify the heat their body produces. It's not exactly fair, but the added heat is distracting (sweat in your eyes, discomfort) and increases the rate of that their stamina is consumed. Most of the time, this ability's impact is only minor - Jen needs to be incredibly serious about a particular fight for it to seriously tip the scales.
Secondary Ability - Speed Reading (English Studies)
Something like Ignite, but tuned to mental activity. Jen inflames her own ability to process information - allowing her to increase the rate of her own reading speed, or just how fast she solves math problems. She needs to be "in the zone" for this ability to work, so it often takes a little while to trigger, and while its active, she's totally focused on the task at hand. Useful for all her classes.
Secondary Ability - Warding Heat (Mixed Martial Arts)
Intimidation is a surprisingly valuable tool when you're fighting at a disadvantage - for Jen, that happens frighteningly often when she's unarmed, especially against the Masters in Amaranth's Martial Arts clubs. Warding Heat activates itself to supplement Jen's intimidation actions - typically her ready stances, especially when she's bluffing - making her seem as intimidating as a wildfire.
Secondary Ability - Temperature Moderation (Swimming)
Jen's body adjusts its internal temperature with lightning speed when she enters a pool, which lets her get right to the business at hand: Swimming. Offers some measure of protection against temperature-based spells - especially the invisible kind. Also works for hot-tubs and showers - though here it just makes her pleasantly warm the whole time.
Secret Art - ?????
Bio: Jennifer, or Jen to her friends, is an example character and probably not a real person. For the sake of example, two versions of Jen are presented; one where she is an Awakened Pyrokinetic, and one where she is a Dreaming (without me having to make two characters).
In either timeline, Jen's life is mostly normal. She grew up an only child in an ordinary two parent home in an unremarkable suburb somewhere in Canada. Competitive by nature, Jen took up sports in school - but didn't excel in anything that wasn't a solo competition (the whole "team-player" thing wasn't something she could figure out). Fencing became her favorite - and was the basis for her acceptance into Amaranth Academy (also, her father was an alumnus).
In one timeline, her father Awakened her before she left - in the other, she's still Dreaming (perhaps he thought she wasn't responsible enough for magic - or just didn't want to continue the tradition). Either way, she's in Amaranth now, and studying under Cayce Study, Professor of Examples and Puns. Suspecting a joke in this, she joined the English club to investigate - and wasn't very impressed when she figured it out.
Club List
Fencing Club - Jen's specialty. Though she practices frequently, fighting the "geniuses" of Amaranth are always difficult (a lot of them cheat). Still, she enjoys the academic components (like learning to handle different types of blades and the history of swordsmanship). Cleaning's a little boring, but at least she gets to do it alone. As an Awakened Student, she brings a little poetry along to help her get through it. Jen generally refrains from cheating here, though if she needs to, she'll start with Blush, then Mirage Aura - and finally start messing with the temperature around her. As a Dreamer, her Ignite and Overheat abilities get her by - Warding Heat and Temperature Moderation also play in, but less often.
English Studies Club - Originally joined on the advice of her Homeroom Professor, Jen has since decided it actually isn't that bad. She's not a great writer, but reading can be pretty fun! The class also studies English culture and history, which isn't as boring as you'd think (sometimes they talk about swords). She has to work harder at this than her physical clubs, since she's not as academically gifted. Only her Revitalize and Speed Reading abilities really help her here.
Swimming Club - Mostly an excuse to relax and unwind, Jen also does speed swimming - but she doesn't take it very seriously. Still, she's physically strong enough to scrape by (she does better as a Dreamer). As an Awakened Student, her Primary ability is what she uses mainly - just to warm up the water at first and dry off quickly. As a Dreamer, Ignite and Temperature Moderation both improve her performance (raise her grade to B+).
Mixed Martial Arts Club - Another fighting club. Jen doesn't enjoy it any where near as much as Fencing, but its a solo competition too and focuses on physical fitness so the training carries over a bit. Pretty much everything in Fencing applies, but she's not as into it - though she is more willing to cheat proactively as an Awakened student.
Relationships
Cayce Study - Professor of Examples and Puns, Cayce is a questionably real individual within Amaranth's faculty. Jen doesn't have an especially remarkable relationship with him - he's just her teacher.
Janet P. Lane - A normal girl who is also in Jen's class. Professor Study seems to like grouping them together for some reason, but as you might expect from two average girls, they're just acquaintances with an unremarkable relationship. Still, it was Janet who suggested that Jen should look into the English club (Janet, of course, already understood the joke). Might be a distant relation to a famous news reporter.
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Name:
Race:
Age:
Aura:
Appearance:
Primary Ability
Secondary Ability
Secondary Ability
Secondary Ability
Secondary Ability
Secret Art:
Bio:
Club List
Club Name
Club Name
Club Name
Club Name
Relationships:
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And that's that - questions, as I said at the top, are welcome.
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