Dice Rifts - The Thirteenth Mystery - OOC

[Psychie]

Psychie Hey! (/silliness on) You had the word "placeholder" in that spot! That made me think you were playing a True Atlantean Cyber-Knight named Placeholder! You fooled me! I want a refund! (/silliness off. Or... wait. Does it ever really turn off?) =)

I still don't know who's worse; you or Sherwood. You are both so bad at the silly pun-ishment.

 

[Sherwood]

I'm personally offended by that. I should be worse because of all the puns I tell! lol

Wait. Should that be, 'I should be better?' Now my brain hurts.

 

[Purr]

I'm personally offended by that. I should be worse because of all the puns I tell! lol

Wait. Should that be, 'I should be better?' Now my brain hurts.

Sherwood Oooh! I know! I know! Hey Bud! This'll help!

Spoiler: Lookie here!

 

[Epiphany]

I thought you made it clear in the beginning that you didn't want characters of that magnitude? Perhaps you just implied it? (I got that feeling from somewhere and I thought it was here.) You hardly ever say things you don't mean so I took this to be a statement of intent. I think that is what guided my earlier question just now. =)

So... you want PCs close to Cosmo-Knight-level but not quite? To talk Phase World, 1st stage Prometheans but not 2nd stage or talking dragons, tough hatchlings but no adults?

My main specification was aiming for characters between 5th and 10th level, with a view that the less powerful the concept, the more appropriate higher levels would be.

Honestly, I'd envisioned characters more or less like those in the Coalition Wars. Ley Line Walkers (and I'm amused we don't have a single magic user in the party), powerful psychics, dragons sure, etc. But if someone came in with a great Promethean pitch that made it plausible for them to be in the war, I'm open to the possibility.

My biggest concern is once you get to the Cosmo-Knight stage, you run a real risk of deprotagonizing your fellow PCs. I'd prefer people not feel like they're irrelevant in a fight because someone's packing a skyscraper-shattering punc, that's all.

Perhaps it would aid the group as a whole to know who has access to Rifter #23?

Good question!

Another question I have (going into time travel here) - if, in 109 P.A., the PCs fell through a rift and arrived back in 101 P.A., did they arrive exactly in their 101 P.A. bodies? Or did their 101 P.A. bodies vanish? Or do they exist somewhere and now we've got a Time Lord-level problem? I know you touched on this but I'd like finer details if I may?

Clearly the Fix-It trope isn't as widely known as I'd have expected.

From the point of view of the characters involved, one moment they were fighting to the death in the streets of Tolkeen. Rifts surging out of control, a nearby hospital being blown up, another surge of death-driven-P.P.E. spiked the ley line and...

They open their eyes and it's 8 years ago. They're among the thousands that turned up for one of King Creed's speeches, a speech they remember having heard 8 years ago. The feeling of deja vu will be profound. A look in the mirror will reveal their faces from 8 years prior. Scars, wounds, undone. Their gear and armaments will be what they had 8 years ago. It's almost like those 8 years of strife were a dream, a nightmare of the worst kind...except they know Creed's going to announce the 'new' structure of Tolkeen's reorganizing military and sure enough it happens just as they remember. No one seems the wiser for it either...except for those they remember fighting with on the battlefield, those who were also back here, whose eyes are haunted by the same nightmare.

Groundhog's Day movie but the loop is (as far as anyone knows) only once and it wasn't a day rewound, it was 8 years.

How will they make the most of it?

 

[Sherwood]

Ouch. That is painful. I bow you your pun mastery.

 

[Purr]

No one seems the wiser for it either...except for those they remember fighting with on the battlefield, those who were also back here, whose eyes are haunted by the same nightmare.

Groundhog's Day movie but the loop is (as far as anyone knows) only once and it wasn't a day rewound, it was 8 years.

How will they make the most of it?

O.K.. That explains a lot, but produces a train of thought I've been wondering about - how much do they remember? Every last detail? Or are there parts that are not clear? I'm asking because if the future is indeed as clear as a person remembers it (and Eidetic Memory is a thing here in Rifts!), then some high I.Q. people and the like aren't going to miss a beat.

And in Real Life, that might make for a great deal of writing.

In this spirit, do you want from every PC a general idea of what they did during those 8 years? If not, how are the Players to accurately move back along this "time stream?"

 

[Epiphany]

I'd join in the punning but I have no knack for it at all. Silly people.

 

[Psychie]

I wrote up my Cyber Knight at level 10; should I dial her back a few? Is she too tough? I don't want to make a game breaker.

 

[Purr]

Ouch. That is painful. I bow you your pun mastery.

I am but a Padawan! Master Sherwood is the true Kwisatz Haderach! Er, Wizard of Many Colors! Uh... the biggest, bestest pun-masta YOU ever saw!

When I think of my Bud and his puns, I be dancin' like this! =)

Edit: Seriously, Sherwood's been at this pun thing a lot longer than me! =)

 

[Sherwood]

I personally went with a level 8 character, knowing that the Undead Slayer is a total tough cookie to chew on. In comparison to my Undead Slayer, I have many bonuses that yours does not, but that doesn't mean I'd walk over you in a fight. I have a feeling that you and I will be the anchors for the team in a tough fight.

 

[Epiphany]

O.K.. That explains a lot, but produces a train of thought I've been wondering about - how much do they remember? Every last detail? Or are there parts that are not clear? I'm asking because if the future is indeed as clear as a person remembers it (and Eidetic Memory is a thing here in Rifts!), then some high I.Q. people and the like aren't going to miss a beat.

And in Real Life, that might make for a great deal of writing.

In this spirit, do you want from every PC a general idea of what they did during those 8 years? If not, how are the Players to accurately move back along this "time stream?"

How well do you remember the last 8 years? Despite (presumably) having the actual physical brain they had 8 years ago, they have the memories and experiences they will have accumulated over that span of time. If they learned a new skil 4 years from now, they still know it. If they hacked a computer terminal 2 years ago 6 years from now, maybe they'll remember the password they uncovered (I'll be honest, -I- don't remember what my work password was 2 years ago much less 8 years ago).

If someone's playing a character with high IQ and an excellent memory, you'll remember as much as you would expect to. I'm entirely open to people making the most of that for their backstories.

Good question on timelines for individual PCs, though. I have no word count requirements or detail/specificity expectations. But the more people work up, the more I can use and plan for and incorporate into the game. It's my hope that players who put a lot into the game will get a lot out of the game as a result.

Not everyone's equally good (or equally interested) in writing up an exhaustive backstory of course. I'm also receptive to the occasional "Oh, I remember this, I was here 3 years ago/5 years from now, we need to go to x and do y" action. If you're familiar with Exalted 3e's Introduce Fact mechanic, I'm not going to replicate the mechanic here but I'm very open to players 'introducing facts' during gameplay to reflect what their characters lived through.

Does that help?

 

[Epiphany]

I wrote up my Cyber Knight at level 10; should I dial her back a few? Is she too tough? I don't want to make a game breaker.

Great question and totally fair to ask, and thanks for being willing to ask it.

I'd like to see everyone else's sheets before hashing out balance. I'm actually less worried about 8th vs. 10th level differences and more worried that someone builds a character to be awesome at x, someone else's character is even more awesome at x, and as a result the first player feels less special/less tethered to the game and thus runs a higher risk of checking out.

 

[Esbilon]

Characters can be on that level, if they want to be. The Coalition Wars books have a bunch of NPCs statted up, many of them pretty dang powerful. The intent is that these PCs should rival them, in experience if not in reputation. If folks want to play a Technical Specialist or a Rogue Scholar, I've no objection, but this campaign's uniquely suited to higher-end PC concepts.

I'm glad no one's tested that by asking to play a Cosmo-Knight.

Bear in mind, the antagonist for this game isn't a single high level adversary but arguably the greatest military war machine in the world. By all means, play high-octane characters. They'll need every edge they can get.

I asked about Godlings. I thought those were pretty powerful so now I'm quite worried about what Cosmo Knights can do

Concept-wise, I was thinking about a person who started out as a CS spy in Tolkeen, but got turned during the war and now starts on the side of friendship and magic. However, I'm not sure there's really a way to do that in a believable way that's really compatible with what y'all are doing in combat and this system doesn't really seem to support that much else.

 

[Purr]

Concept-wise, I was thinking about a person who started out as a CS spy in Tolkeen, but got turned during the war and now starts on the side of friendship and magic. However, I'm not sure there's really a way to do that in a believable way that's really compatible with what y'all are doing in combat and this system doesn't really seem to support that much else.

Esbilon Why not? Where's the road-block here? How many ways would you like to do it?

(Your character was a captured elf whose family was held by the CS and you had to do it until you found out they'd killed your family years ago and fed them to the Dog Boys - now you want serious payback.) (Your character was a Psychic spy drugged by your CS masters until someone cast a spell on you killing the controlling drugs. Now you're off your leash and the CS has no idea that you're free.) (Your character was a CS spy who was on his way to joining the Tolkeen people already when he found himself right smack in the middle of a magical duel between two serious Ley Line Walkers during a Ley Line Storm - POW! A bolt hit him and now... he's something he wasn't before - and the CS has no idea. Yet...)

 

[Epiphany]

I asked about Godlings. I thought those were pretty powerful so now I'm quite worried about what Cosmo Knights can do

Concept-wise, I was thinking about a person who started out as a CS spy in Tolkeen, but got turned during the war and now starts on the side of friendship and magic. However, I'm not sure there's really a way to do that in a believable way that's really compatible with what y'all are doing in combat and this system doesn't really seem to support that much else.

One of those hidden "I will squee if someone says it but I don't wanna say it" things for me is someone playing a character who was on the Coalition's side. Maybe they flipped a few years ago, a few years from now. Maybe they were in the enemy fighting the other PCs because it was that or be shot as a traitor. And now they're in the past too and are motivated to not let any of that happen.

It's not a need to have for me, but it's a nice to have.

That said, Coalition concepts are generally underwhelming relative to Atlantean Undead Slayers.

CS Mind Melter? Or, since no one else is actually playing a magic wielder, maybe a Coalition Vanguard wizard? I don't know, Sherwood/Psychie/Dannigan, you guys know any good Coalition OCCs/RCCs that'd be good for it?

 

[Sherwood]

I had an NPC in one game that stared out as a CS Grunt that got exposed to energies from a rift, and developed superpowers. He was then wanted for experimentation, and he bolted out of there to save his life. Something along those lines could be useable.

 

[Esbilon]

Esbilon Why not? Where's the road-block here? How many ways would you like to do it?

(Your character was a captured elf whose family was held by the CS and you had to do it until you found out they'd killed your family years ago and fed them to the Dog Boys - now you want serious payback.) (Your character was a Psychic spy drugged by your CS masters until someone cast a spell on you killing the controlling drugs. Now you're off your leash and the CS has no idea that you're free.) (Your character was a CS spy who was on his way to joining the Tolkeen people already when he found himself right smack in the middle of a magical duel between two serious Ley Line Walkers during a Ley Line Storm - POW! A bolt hit him and now... he's something he wasn't before - and the CS has no idea. Yet...)

Yeah, you're right. Maybe I had too strict a definition of "believable."

Someone whose loyalty was ensured by a threat to their family, but who later found out that said family had already been murdered would open up basically every archetype.

One of those hidden "I will squee if someone says it but I don't wanna say it" things for me is someone playing a character who was on the Coalition's side. Maybe they flipped a few years ago, a few years from now. Maybe they were in the enemy fighting the other PCs because it was that or be shot as a traitor. And now they're in the past too and are motivated to not let any of that happen.

It's not a need to have for me, but it's a nice to have.

That said, Coalition concepts are generally underwhelming relative to Atlantean Undead Slayers.

CS Mind Melter? Or, since no one else is actually playing a magic wielder, maybe a Coalition Vanguard wizard? I don't know, Sherwood/Psychie/Dannigan, you guys know any good Coalition OCCs/RCCs that'd be good for it?

I'm glad you like it

 

[Epiphany]

I had an NPC in one game that stared out as a CS Grunt that got exposed to energies from a rift, and developed superpowers. He was then wanted for experimentation, and he bolted out of there to save his life. Something along those lines could be useable.

My girl, Alley Orzech, was an ex-Coalition RCGS Scientist who got exposed to the St. Louis rift and became temporally empowered, leading to the Coalition hunting after her, causing her to eventually join up with the Misfits in Sherwood's On the Road game.

Super good times.

 

[Sherwood]

Yep. I had forgotten about that character.

 

[Purr]

I had an NPC in one game that stared out as a CS Grunt that got exposed to energies from a rift, and developed superpowers. He was then wanted for experimentation, and he bolted out of there to save his life. Something along those lines could be useable.

I bet you're referring to Eric. =)

Not everyone's equally good (or equally interested) in writing up an exhaustive backstory of course. I'm also receptive to the occasional "Oh, I remember this, I was here 3 years ago/5 years from now, we need to go to x and do y" action. If you're familiar with Exalted 3e's Introduce Fact mechanic, I'm not going to replicate the mechanic here but I'm very open to players 'introducing facts' during gameplay to reflect what their characters lived through.

Writing 8 years of backstory is one of the big roadblocks stopping me from joining. That this completely optional is a potential... (and I'm hoping for a groan from Sherwood and Psychie here)... game-changer. =) (O.K., I did that just for the pun.)

Does that help?

Big time! Thanks!

Ley Line Walkers (and I'm amused we don't have a single magic user in the party), powerful psychics, dragons sure, etc.

Heh. Pips & Co.? Take a look into Pips's Character section when you have a moment?

 

[Epiphany]

Argh, that moment when I'm like "Oh yeah, I had a character in Sherwood's game!" and hit post and realize the person I'm replying to is Sherwood.

 

[Sherwood]

I bet you're referring to Eric. =)


Writing 8 years of backstory is one of the big roadblocks stopping me from joining. That this completely optional is a potential... (and I'm hoping for a groan from Sherwood and Psychie here)... game-changer. =) (O.K., I did that just for the pun.)


Big time! Thanks!


Heh. Pips & Co.? Take a look into Pips's Character section when you have a moment?

Yes, indeed. It was Eric Foss.

 

[Sherwood]

I see a Dannigan-made character in the works in our Character Thread! Woot!

 

[Epiphany]

It has not escaped my notice that most players have removed the backstory tab from the template.

Anyway, I'll take a look at sheets in the morning. It's late o'clock for me and I have work calls starting in 7 hours that I need to actually be conscious for. Cheers!

 

[Purr]

I see a Dannigan-made character in the works in our Character Thread! Woot!

Chan-Chan is just a daydream I made up last night that I felt might add to Pips's game. =)

Pips can feel free to use Chan-Chan as an NPC or, perhaps if I can come into an agreement here, I may join. But please don't feel obligated to have me just because I put a character into a thread. I'm still not certain conditions are right for me to join.

I just felt creative and felt like sharing something with all of you. =)