spacepirate
space dragons in space
- Link to the Recruitment Thread
Welcome & Premise
If you're here from the Recruitment Thread, then I welcome you once again! This RP takes place in the virtual reality game of Andaros Online, a VR MMO created in the very near future. As of right now, the entirety of this RP will take place within the game world.
All of the our characters are going to be players who were good enough at Andaros Online through events, accolades, and more that they ranked within the Top 100 players at the time the game and company, SebraSoft Ltd., were purchased by new owners. Once considered the best VR MMO of all time with real-time seamless translation between players across the world and regular solo and guild-friendly events, all of these plus the Dynamic Skill System meant that Andaros once had upwards of 5 million players worldwide. While many players left the VR world in droves, most of the other products on the market share a very similar situation, so there aren't many other places for the players to go.
Notably, many people within the Andaros community and even in real life were frustrated with the new "Pay2Win" and "sponsored content" angle that the new shareholders were taking SebraSoft Ltd., and many people even tried to buy shares of their own, only to find that the companies that had acquired the game and all of its assets were holdings corporations with almost no information available to the public. Some long-time employees and game developers spoke out against the new direction the company was going, only to be terminated. Whoever was in control of the new Andaros Online, and their agenda, was currently shrouded in mystery to both player and developer.
It had been 2 months since the ownership change, and Andaros is almost unrecognizable: entire dungeons are now showrooms for sponsored content, lore-friendly markets are now overrun with premium paid items, and players with very little technical skill have risen to top rankings due to the "rare" items they were able to purchase. Finally, it was time to take action- ZenRikka, who was once ranked #3 worldwide prior to Andaros' ownership change, sent an invite to the previous top 100 players to join her new guild, the Worldenders, with the sole purpose of winning the game's server-wide events the old fashioned way and proving to players that they don't need to purchase any of the sham equipment or heed the rule of sponsored accounts. They thrive for several months, garnering a large following, before a series of dev balancing patches and an alliance of sponsored guilds wiped them clean off the map in a Guild War event, demolishing their base and spawn camping them until all of the players' skills were back to zero.
Stuck with level 1 skills and equipment they might not even have the level cap to wield, many of these players became so disillusioned and angry with the devs' complacency in turning Andaros Online into a walking billboard or cheap cash grab that they turned off the game forever. Their following was equally as frustrated. However, even with the Worldenders guild dissolved and ZenRikka herself nowhere in sight, not all the players are ready to give up just yet... so they gather whoever is still game, and decide to mount a second resistance-- if they won't fight for Andaros, who will?
Rules & Expectations
Since you represent the best of the best in Andaros Online, I expect all of you have worked with guilds before. We follow many of the same principles!
- Respect your fellow guild mates, even when disagreeing. Name calling, personal attacks, and targeted comments with the intent to harass or belittle other players will not be tolerated.
- Follow and adhere to the laws of Andaros Online (and RP Nation) and make sure to follow community guidelines.
- When submitting characters, skills, and plot ideas, please keep in mind that GM suggestions and edits are made with the overall RP and experience as the focus. If some of your ideas are not immediately accepted, don’t feel discouraged, as we can still discuss and see how we can make them work.
- RP will be literate to semi-literate, in the 3rd person style.
- Character images should be in a drawn/digital style, no photos
- Post lengths may vary, but expect 3-5 paragraphs on average
- Players are encouraged to be as creative as they would like with character classes and skills. With the Dynamic Skill System, the game was designed for as much freedom and combination potential as possible. The one caveat is that admins/devs manually run patches to 'balance' new skills as to ensure that players
- Frequency is once a week per player, on average. Plan on waiting for the majority of players to post before continuing to post, so we can minimize people falling behind.
- For combat situations, the GM will be controlling enemies and mobs for the players to fight. If a player has enemies or NPCs they would like to introduce and RP as, let
spacepirate
know. - For player vs. player combat, settle results and actions between players. GM can assist as a ‘referee’ if needed.
- Continually update your Character Sheet as your character obtains new equipment, replaces skills, etc.
- Be nice to new players, and have fun! Ask questions if you need clarification.
Andaros Online
VR MMOs were created in the late 2030s and quickly became popular for their safety protocols such as emergency off switches and epilepsy-accessible game modes. The equipment itself is a helmet-and-goggles set that allow the user to "sleep" in real life while their consciousness controls an avatar in the game world. This proprietary technology was called the "DreamHelm", and is run by a separate company from the game developers. It connects to PCs, though this requires extensive hardware modules and the latest graphics cards. By the year 2040, the technology had been mass produced enough to where many households had access to DreamHelms.
Andaros Online was marketed as a completely free MMO experience, though the company SebraSoft seemed to have access to powerful servers and resources to pay all of their developers. It was mostly praised for its Dynamic Skill System, which procedurally generated player skills based on actions and specific criteria in the game. Devs would later balance these skills through patches.
The Devs were responsible for manually creating the rest of Andaros’ virtual world, including equipment, classes, dungeonn, NPCs, and mobs. SebraSoft also handled the creation and coordination of server-wide guild events.
There was no central story to Andaros Online, but the world was composed of seven islands called "stages" that revolve around a central "moon" like entity called Andaros, which was apparently where all of the Skills came from. Each of these seven stages had NPCs, missions, and unique settings for players to explore and discover. The primary competitive edge of Andaros Online came in the form of server wide Events, which were time sensitive and were always PvP in some form: whether that was crafting the best equipment, playing an in universe "game show" of mob trivia, or an all out combat free-for-all, this was undeniably the most popular part of the game, especially with the absence of premium content.
After the game was purchased, each of the stages became populated by sponsored accounts and content, with many players logging in as paid employees to run in-game equivalents of shops, facilities, and more. Additionally, since level caps could be bypassed with real-life currency, players of all skill levels can now be found wandering all across the seven stages.
The Seven Stages
Stage 1: Kingdom of Chartreuse
Level Cap: None
All new players will spawn in the Kingdom of Chartreuse, where they can experience a fantasy life filled with knights, monsters, magic, and more! Chartreuse, the only city on this stage, once had all kinds of beginner equipment, and many players set up shop in the city as well, since it was familiar and home base for most of the casual players. Class trainers of all the starter classes can be found here, such as: Mage, Fighter, Rogue, Tamer, Crafter, Bard, Archer, Cleric, Knight, and more. While there are not many difficult mobs in this stage, there are rumors of powerful Earth-Hewn Golems, ancient monsters that drop rare crafting materials.
After the purchase, Stage One is now completely transformed as the city became the center for real-life trade and sposorships. Currently, the auction hall and crafter's markets are shut down, since the superstore brand "EZ Buy" has made the kingdom their headquarters, selling everything from crossbows, eye of newt, and toilet paper.
Stage 2: Azure Ruinfolds
Level Cap: 15
For most new players, the Azure Ruinfolds is their first taste of a hazardous environment. The Ruinfolds are a series of underwater dungeons, with all NPC cities living on large freighters on the surface of the stage's waters. Unique water-based classes and racial morphs can be found on this stage, and special equipment or skills are required to stay underwater for long periods of time. For those who reject the diving mechanics, naval combat proves the easiest way to level up, though they might lose out on rare Merfolk and Abyssal mobs that spawn underneath the waves.
Since the purchase, the Ruinfolds have become a popular location for all sorts of automobile and vehicle manufacturers, who operate floating showrooms. Currently, the largest of these showrooms is a naval fleet owned by Catamaran, a luxury car brand.
Stage 3: Amaranth Dragonhold
Level Cap: 25
The mighty Dragonhold is a favorite for many players, who want to fight and even ride dragons! While there aren't any NPC settlements, friendly merchants and class trainers wander in hunting bands, inviting players to pursue dragons alongside them. For those who crave combat, the Dragonhold's natural 'arena' made of stone is the perfect place for some PvP action. There are many fiery and draconic spawns here such as flying dragons, wyverns, Wyrms, and more.
It has become a popular spot for real-life firearms manufacturers to sell their wares, even if the guns do less damage in game than they would in real life. Defense company Mattersfield has the largest influence on this stage, having taken over the Dragonhold 'arena' as a shooting range and showroom for its many employees.
Stage 4: Flaxen Spiritwoods
Level Cap: 40
Seemingly peaceful on the surface, the Spiritwoods are filled with powerful mobs such as will-o-wisps, kitsunes, and more that are sure to cause even the most seasoned players trouble with their abnormal status effects. The village at the base of the waterfall is where you can find most NPCs, who teach special classes such as: Shinobi, Threadweaver, Origamist, and more. In the old days, this was a favorite spot of many players to build guild halls and homes.
Today, the Spiritwoods is turned into a fashion show, with the apparel brand Erloch having a large property in the center of the Spiritwoods.
Stage 5: Phlox Enginefort
Level Cap: 50
With its mechanical cities and steampunk-inspired airships, the Enginefort is a stark contrast to the more fantasy-based stages. Magic is relatively rare among the NPCs and mobs of Stage 5, yet different types of firearms and ammunition are common, so classes like marksman, mechanist, iron warrior, and more all have their trainers based here. In addition to life in the smog lane, the Enginefort allows opportunities for entreprenurial players to set up production facilities, as well as advanced crafting systems. In today's world of Andaros, the Enginefort is still the mechanical Mecca it always was, with the addition of aerial billboards and all the latest technology brands advocating their real-life products.
Particularly influential in Stage 6 is the tech conglomerate Cela de Raio, whose engineers are working on creating a working smartphone in the world of Andaros, where instant communication and even expedited item delivery and transport are all virtual realities.
Stage 6: Ivorine Zephyrdom
Level Cap: 75
As the penultimate level, the Zephyrdom is not for the faint of heart-- all players will constantly deal with the Atmospheric Sickness debuff, which slows their movement speed and even disables the natural regeneration of health or energy. Not many NPCs live in the sky-floating palaces of the Zephyrdom, and its great white structures are populated with the most terrifying and dangerous form of energy-based life, such as mobs from the Angel class that consistently evolve with each battle or Deity-class dungeons that are cursed with the powers of all Andaros.
While few players set up bases here due to the inherent danger, even fewer brands have the mettle to turn this stage into a successful marketplace. Of course, there's healthcare giant MeliStar, who reportedly hired talented players to set up a base for them right in the middle of the largest ruin in Zephyrdom. While their products do not have much functional value in Andaros, they are speaking with developers about implementing new sicknesses and afflictions that can only be healed using their unique prescription items.
Stage 7: The Pitch
Level Cap: 100
For players who max out their level to 100, their reward is the completely dark world of the Pitch, officially stage 7 of Andaros. Unlike other games with darkness mechanics, the Pitch is truly and completely dark-- even if players bring light or fire from other stages or powered by their own skills, the everlasting night is so complete and thick that it envelops players like a status effect of its own. Additionally, mobs in the Pitch have the uncanny ability to disappear at will, to the point where not even skilled players can claim to know exactly what the monsters look like here. The only point of interest with any visibility is the Pyramid, which has never been opened and explored. As previous rank #3 global player xX_ThundrLord_Xx once claimed: "This level is a piece of cake, just play with your eyes closed."
Of course, since the purchase, Andaros' generous sponsors at PuddingPark and Pudding Studios, one of the largest entertainment and experience companies in the world, created a 'safe zone' in the Pitch right near the pyramid, where players can experience a five-star hospitality treatment right from the comfort of their VR headset.
The Dynamic Skill System
At the core of Andaros Online's gameplay is the dynamic skill system. The skill system has the following caveats:
- Players can obtain a maximum of 7 skills at any one time. Learning new skills will allow a notification window to appear, and the player can choose to reject or accept it. Only one of these notifications can exist at any one time; ignoring this notification will prevent the player from learning any new skills.
- Skills cannot be transferred or traded to other players. The only caveat is that learned skills can be Etched into pieces of equipment, though this process is long and difficult, with it needing to be player-crafted, and requiring rare materials.
- Skills also have levels from 1-100, and these level up merely by playing the game while having them equipped. However, they have caps at 25, 50, and 75 that require procedurally generated missions in order to clear. At these caps, the skills may become more proficient.
- While skills cannot be combined, under rare circumstances, levelling two skills up to lvl 100 will trigger a notification that allows you to accept a new skill in place of giving those two skills up.
Other Character information (Levels, Classes, Equipment, Guilds)
Levels: In the world of Andaros Online, levels for players and skills range from 1 to 100, with 1 being the lowest and 100 being the highest. In terms of our RP, no one is expected to make any damage calculations or math pertaining to the story. Instead, think of levels as markers to see how the players have progressed in the plot! Characters can gain Lvl EXP for themselves and their skills by creating items, finishing missions, discovering locations, slaying monsters, and more!
Classes: For the most part, a character's classes do not affect their skills. At most, they can enable the acquisition of a skill by acting as a prerequisite. Players are free to change classes as many times as they would like, they just need to find the in-world unique NPC and pay the training cost in order to do so. After acquiring a class, players may find that their skills change the Titlecard by their class depending on their actions, but the exact mechanics of this remain unconfirmed. Classes do, however, actively limit the equipment type that a player may use.
Equipment: Equipment comes in six main types: Weapon, Head, Body, Hands, Shoes, and Accessories. There are no known ways to increase the amount of equipment a player can wear at one time. Equipment can affect stats and some may even be crafted or found with rare Skills of their own, though these are typically level capped to some degree. Generally, equipment can be purchased in-fgame, crafted by players, or dropped by powerful boss monsters.
Guilds: The key to both cooperative and competitive play are Guilds. Almost any player can create a guild if they have enough in-game coins, and the benefits of having a guild mean that your character is now available to view on the global rankings board. Some solo players create their own 1-person guilds just to appear on the rankings and participate in server-wide events. Guilds require a base of operations and at least one active member in order to stay valid. If the guild leader or founder leaves, ownership usually passes onto the next player unless the guild has been disbanded.
Character Sheet
[B]VR Helm Registration[/B]
Registered Name:
Age:
Gender:
Country of Origin:
About/Bio:
[B]Andaros Information[/B]
Player Name:
Player Level: Levels range from 1-100. As players gain skill exp, a portion of this transfers to their level, and does not go does as new skills are acquired or replaced. Only in-game deaths can lower player skills and level, though they are not reset to level 1 immediately.
Class: Class does not prevent players from acquiring new skills, and is primarily limiting the equipment they can use. However, some skills may require the player to have a specific class in order to learn skills.
Avatar Description:
In-Game History: This is where you can list a player's feats, accomplishments, and their previous ranking from 1-100 prior to Andaros' purchase.
Current Skills:
[LIST]
[*][Skill 1], level, flavor text
[*][Skill 2], level, flavor text
[*][Skill 3], level, flavor text
[*][Skill 4], level, flavor text
[*][Skill 5], level, flavor text
[*][Skill 6], level, flavor text
[*][Skill 7], level, flavor text
[/LIST]
Equipment Slots: Equipment can each hold one skill/ability apiece. Depending on how powerful the equipment may be, there may be a level cap.
[LIST]
[*]Primary Weapon:
[*]Secondary Weapon:
[*]Head:
[*]Body:
[*]Hands:
[*]Shoes:
[*]Accessory:
[*]Accessory:
[*]Accessory:
[/LIST]
Current Inventory: During the last event, the entire guild had their guild building destroyed, so any furniture or facility items were lost. Players may have had personal residences and private inventories that could have survived the event, though in the case they built these facilities anywhere other than Stage 1, they will need to grind for a bit before getting those items back.
Other Notable Info:
VR Helm Registration
Registered Name: Nadjia Porziņģis
Age: 22
Gender: F
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
About/Bio: While most who play Andaros Online relish in the anonymity of the platform, ZenRikka, real name Nadjia, found community and belonging by posting streams dedicated to her competitive climb to the top of the global rankings, where she topped out at rank #3, leading her own guild at the time called the Silent Knights. ZenRikka was open about her journey into VR gaming being an escape from reality: after breaking her ankle, she was unable to pursue professional football, a lifelong goal of the hardworking athelete. With a mind just as fast and reflexive as ever but a body that had sustained a terrible injury, she grew restless and depressed until finding the world of Andaros Online, quickly using her fancy footwork and hard-earned game senses to become a PvP and combat fanatic.
Andaros Information
Player Name: ZenRikka
Player Level: 100
Class:
In-Game History:
Registered Name: Nadjia Porziņģis
Age: 22
Gender: F
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
About/Bio: While most who play Andaros Online relish in the anonymity of the platform, ZenRikka, real name Nadjia, found community and belonging by posting streams dedicated to her competitive climb to the top of the global rankings, where she topped out at rank #3, leading her own guild at the time called the Silent Knights. ZenRikka was open about her journey into VR gaming being an escape from reality: after breaking her ankle, she was unable to pursue professional football, a lifelong goal of the hardworking athelete. With a mind just as fast and reflexive as ever but a body that had sustained a terrible injury, she grew restless and depressed until finding the world of Andaros Online, quickly using her fancy footwork and hard-earned game senses to become a PvP and combat fanatic.
Andaros Information
Player Name: ZenRikka
Player Level: 100
Class:
- Lich Templar: The culmination of any Knight or Warrior who has chosen to pursue the way of death and darkness, Lich Templars grow stronger with the amount of Souls they have taken. It is said that one thousand Souls must be harvested before this class becomes available. Boasting tremendous vitality and strength, Lich Templars are not attuned to magical or ranged weaponry, but can wield any heavy melee and armors with ease. Cursed equipment will have no negative effects on this class. Additionally, this class does not benefit from Healing spells, and can only regain Health from slaying enemies. It is rumored that even though they do not wield magic of their own, Lich Templars host untold Necromantic energy. In order to maintain their power, Lich Templars must also periodically consume Souls or risk having their dark powers turned upon them. Souls can only be acquired from defeating players in PvP matches, including but not limited to: Open Dungeons, Server Events, and Duel Invites.
- Usable Equipment Tags: [Heavy Armor], [Cursed], [Two-Handed Melee], [One-Handed Melee], [Light Shield], [Heavy Shield]
- Ascends from: Warrior -> Knight -> Necroknight
- ZenRikka's official character race is [Undead] after Ascending to the Lich class. As such, healing spells will not work on her and instead only harm her, but her avatar does not emanate body heat, making her ideal for facing enemies with heat or life detecting abilities. Other than that, she appears mostly as a human female with silver hair, red eyes, and crimson-and-black armor.
In-Game History:
- Anyone who has played Andaros Online for more than a year knows the name ZenRikka-- not only is she one of the top-ranked players of all time, she's likely challenged you to a duel! While the idea of any player fighting such an accomplished star seemed ridiculous, she often promised to not use her powerful equipment, or even any of her skills! Indeed, ZenRikka seemed to relish winning duels using only the most basic weaponry, often foregoing Etched Equipment in favor of that which had simple stats and a elegant or sleek appearance. These 'no-skill fights' proved to be popular amongst players both old and new, and even if opponents played dirty and broke their agreement by using skills, it was said ZenRikka never broke form, even when it would cause her to lose. This love of PvP and combat is perhaps only natural that she would be the first player to discover the Ascended Class Lich Templar after defeating 1000 opponents straight in PvP without dying once. When Andaros was purchased, ZenRikka was furious-- especially since there were even fewer players to duel against after a few months. With a heavy heart, the once-third-ranked player in the world send out a message to the past 100 who were just like her: let's form a guild and take back our home!
- [Shout of the Damned] - [Lvl. 100] By channeling harvested Souls, Lich Templars can unleash a terrifying cry that will stun entities with crowd control resistance. For each consecutive use of this skill, Soul cost increases.
- [Hellbound Bond] - [Lvl. 100] By channeling harvested Souls, Lich Templars can create a Hellbound Bond with one target. When one member of an active Hellbound Bond is defeated, the other will fall as well.
- [Deconstruct] - [Lvl. 100] Upon defeating a summoned, reanimated, or constructed opponent, gain 100% of the components used to create the entity.
- [Reflective Parry] - [Lvl. 100] For any damage that is blocked or parried, return an instance of damage to the attacker. This skill gets stronger when used in successtion.
- [Immovable Object] - [Lvl. 100] [Passive] When wearing at least four pieces of Heavy Armor, the user cannot be staggered, knocked back, or knocked prone.
- [Ashes to Ashes] - [Lvl. 100] [Passive] Upon dealing damage, if that damage would be fatal to the target, immediately incinerate their remains, preventing instant revival or for any components to be harvested.
- [Focused Fire] - [Lvl. 100] [Passive] When in combat with a single opponent, deal more damage to that opponent if the opponent has more health than the user.
- Primary Weapon: [Death Scion's Cursed Claymore] - [Two-Handed Sword] [ Cursed] [Lvl Cap: 100] A rare boss drop from the Death Scion, one of the Lords of the Pitch. It is said that any opponent slain by the Death Scion's hand will be forced to roam the endless night. In the hands of a true warrior, even a weapon of pure evil can be controlled and wieded for any cause.
- Secondary Weapon: N/A
- Head: [Unrighteous Helm] - [Head] [Cursed] For every cursed piece of equipment the wearer wears, gain one instance of Unrighteous. Unrighteous allows the wearer to instantly revive to half-health when receiving fatal damage. However, each cursed piece of equipment's negative effects are twice as potent.
- Body: [Knight of Blood and Thorns] - [Body] Event exclusive reward from "A Garden Soiree" limited event. A knight's garden is her castle, and her armor is her key. For every instance of consecutive damage taken, reflect a portion of that damage back at the attacker.
- Hands: [Semper Veritas] - [Hands] [Cursed] Truth comes to those who seek it. All incoming damage is reduced. However, the wearer can no longer receive the benefits of healing effects.
- Shoes: [Depths of Desire] - [Shoes] [Cursed] Increases resistance to pressure and water-based damage. For every instance of terrain damage, gain a stacking healing bonus. However, critical damage taken is increased.
- Accessory: [Scarlett Dragon Heartstring] - [Accessory] [Cursed] The still-beating heartstring of a Scarlett Dragon, fashioned to work as a piece of jewelry or keepsake. Grants regular immunity to fire damage and terrain effects. However, damage taken from dragons is increased by the same amount.
- Accessory: [Skyward Bangle] - [Accessory] An ancient bangle from the civilization that would become the Ivorine Zephyrdom. For every instance of healing the wearer would have received, instead gain an attack bonus.
- Accessory: [A Poem on Death] - [Accessory] [Cursed] "And let this requiem be read to her heirs, for a world without sorrow is a sky without heirs." For every opponent defeated, gain a stacking damage bonus, but movement speed is halved for every instance.
- None (all deployed during guild events)
- After the Worldenders' defeat in the last Guild War event, ZenRikka has not been seen online. It is assumed she quit.
Story Timeline
1. May 2038: Andaros Online receives an alpha release, with a ~60,000 player base.
2. September 2040: Andaros Online reaches 3 million unique users.
3.October 2041: Andaros Online is purchased by shareholding companies that change the core philosphy of gameplay.
4. December 2041: The player ZenRikka founded the Worldenders Guild with some members of the top 100, and they gain widespread popularity for dominating in-game events.
5. April 2042: The Worldenders are wiped out in a server event that causes over half of their members to quit in frustration.
Edit Log:
- Added sample CS, updated lore and story timeline.
Attachments
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