role playing ideas thread

[Cherry Lover]

Well, true, you would likely come to blows if you supported opposite ideals but that's true of anything, I have some ideas if you wanted to avoid pvp stuff.

I'm not particularly bothered by PvP stuff, but nor am I seeking it as such.

a moderate interpretation of chaos would be restoration of the world while keeping the demons around. Or, as Sol said.

What Sol said sounds kind-of interesting, but I would rather have other people around I think. As for your suggestion, I guess that makes sense.

[lantzblades]

Well then, I propose either a post apocalypse setting (like Nocturne or smt imagine) or a pre events setting like over clocked. Either way it gives characters room to grow socially before the plot picks up.

do you guys want a class system for this?

[Cherry Lover]

What do you mean "a class system"?

[lantzblades]

A class system is a a type of character creation which defines a character in part by their job or skill set. In example dungeons and dragons has Fighter, thief, wizard and so on which changes what the characters are capable of.

I'm asking if you guys want the freedom to choose your character's identity and abilities in this matter freely. Or if you guys would prefer to use a single ability as the power everyone has and uses. SMT has about three different types of power. Demon summoning (most common in the smt games) transformation (seen in the digital devil saga games as well as partly in nocturne) and personas (facets of ones mind used in the persona games)

[Soldat der Trauer]

@Lantz: What would be the balancing b/t those, here? :V

Yeah, s'all well and good to say they each start at level one, and what sets them apart is already visible, but how do they scale up? I'd like to avoid the whole so-called "linear fighter, quadratic wizard" situation here, so please, explain/brainstorm how these classes would be able to actually compete w/o "lol MC plot armor".

PCs are gonna be special snowflake enough as it is. :V

[lantzblades]

Presuming a class system is used here it is.

the demonic humans (the transformation users)

these guys are the most powerful numbers wise but they possess the greatest number of drawbacks. Firstly  in human form they are the weakest of the three. Secondly, as a demon their demonic form has a weakness and a strength (in example the protagonist of the Digital Devil saga games is weak to fire but strong against ice) this can never be removed, only negated by buying a skill. Skills additionally unlike the other two classes must be bought and assigned via a terminal. And finally demonic humans must feed on other demons or become weakened.

[lantzblades]

Persona users.

persona users are a one man army, they sit between demons and the demon summoners. They have two major draw backs, firstly the power of their personas are directly related to their social links and secondly that they are otherwise normal humans and need to rest. Finally they have to establish a social link before they can obtain persona of certain types.

demon summoners are the legion commanders. They rely upon their contracted demons heavily and have to first defeat a demon before being able to summon it. Further they have to pay an upkeep for their demons and cannot summon demons stronger than they are.

[Cherry Lover]

How would it affect the story which one of these we used?

The concept sounds interesting, although I'm not sure how many players we have.

[lantzblades]

I assume you mean what would the affect on the story be for each individual class. Partly it depends upon exactly what the story is but the general factors and such are as follows. Persona users are a social bunch, due to the nature of their power their game time is split between a social time and combat events (as in keeping with the persona series) I'd call them the relaxed group story wise, there's always impending doom looming but friendship is more important than grinding away to become powerful.

Demons aren't exactly the social type, they have down time like the rest but are a very combat focused group, think of these guys as army soldiers sort of. The story comes from door smashing hulk style.

demon summoners are the in-between, sometimes the story will come to a head using violence, other times it'll be through social events. They have the unique aspect of a socialization between themselves and demons, this opens up some quirky story options in and of itself.

so basically, light combat, heavy combat and middle combat or easy mode, hard mode and normal mode respectful.

[Soldat der Trauer]

I have a potential mechanic for the game to try incorporating, if you don't mind hearing it out.

Regardless of whether or not the PCs are all Persona Users, PCs begin play aligned w/ an Arcana, one they either choose or the GM rolls for them. This starting Arcana serves as it does in the Persona games, as a general skillset and attributes list, but more importantly, it remains a fixture for the character throughout the campaign.

In systems like Shadowrun, a GM would pass out Karma exp at the end of sessions where players were judged to have done a good job and achieved something. Obviously we can't quite handle things the same way here, but my suggestion is to organize the RP in an episodic format, and at the end of each episode, the GM has PCs roll for their fortune that will continue into the following arc. This post-episode fortune is meant to have a new tarot Arcana be drawn, but its significance represents a sort of clue to future events for that individual character.

The idea is that if PCs are designed to exist as part of a larger universe, and not solely for the explicit in-universe events the campaign goes through, then that should mean each one has their own type of sub-plot. Most such things don't really tend to be developed in some RPs I've seen, though, so the episodic Tarots are meant to provide a "preview" of each individual PC's circumstances, rather than have them all be treated by the system as parts of only one entity (ie making them go through every little development together).

Thoughts?

[lantzblades]

Interesting concept Sol, although major understanding of the tarot cards would be required in that case. An alternate idea would be to use a general karma system (not shadow run) and have the outcomes, benefits etcetera split into tables. Each Arc or episode would see the characters roll on their individual alignment table (law, neutral, chaos) for an event, bonus etcetera (the specific table past, present or future would determine when the event occurs)

[Soldat der Trauer]

solsorrow: But is it actually fuinctional, is the point? :V
solsorrow: *functional

YOLF: I think it is?
YOLF: But it would have to be handled carefully and you'd have to consider what each post episode fortune also means in terms of character progression, if the RP is intended to have it.
YOLF: Also think carefully about how to handle rolling for that fortune, because you could end up with players who accomplished more than others feeling disatisfied due to bad rolls in comparison to others.

solsorrow: Hmmm. What if it was a guarantee if everyone drew a new Arcana, but the roll decided it's "position"; in other words if the Arcana represented something of a boon, a neutral progression, or if danger loomed on the horizon?

YOLF: Less chance of that dissatisfaction, but again, unless you can ensure that everyone would always get some degree of progression, as opposed to cases like unluckily getting shafted even though they accomplished the most, it's not without its flaws.
YOLF: Unless from conception it's supposed to have those flaws and everyone comes in knowing that's how it works.

solsorrow: Well, even if you did great in the episode, I think it'd be fair to end up w/ a fortune that hints at things taking a potentially sour turn for you in the next.

YOLF: Perhaps, but you understand that not everyone might see it that way?
YOLF: Especially if someone ends up getting metaphorically shafted in comparison to everyone else.

solsorrow: The idea is for everyone to have their own personal circumstances remain that, and not share in the glories or failures of someone else (or the whole group's). That carries its own degree of risk that you'll maintain high times or take a turn for the worse. Plus, it's meant more for narrative purposes, since I have come to dislike doing things the old timey RPG-party sort of way.
solsorrow: An alternative is to do something like you guys have mentioned in SR.
solsorrow: Which is use accumulated Karma to buy off poor fortunes from earlier readings.

YOLF: > not share in the glories or failures of someone else (or the whole group's).

That's the stickler point. Some people might not like this. Or the fact that even if you obtain a personal victory, you might not really gain anything from it.
YOLF: > solsorrow: An alternative is to do something like you guys have mentioned in SR.
solsorrow: Which is use accumulated Karma to buy off poor fortunes from earlier readings.

This is probably a good balancer, yes.

solsorrow: Since I don't think Lantz is the sort to do "extra build points if you take disadvantages", this mechanic takes on that role mid-game as opposed to pre-game. You can either be a PC who has tons of exp to spend on stuff at the cost of having all kinds of accumulated portents, or you are not as high-level as you (or others) could be, but you also are much more stable in your anticipated events.
solsorrow: It's also kinda like that thing from systems like Dark Heresy where you can burn Edge or Fate Points.

YOLF: > You can either be a PC who has tons of exp to spend on stuff at the cost of having all kinds of accumulated portents, or you are not as high-level as you (or others) could be, but you also are much more stable in your anticipated events.

That said, this is an interesting set of options and one that could definitely be a strength of the RP.
YOLF: or character creation anyways.

solsorrow: It just seems to make sense when taken in the context of the SMT setting; Persona notwithstanding, tarot is a staple motif.
solsorrow: So might as well adapt it so it's more accessible and immediately relevant.

Slight addendum to the concept. :V

[lantzblades]

Actually I love the flaws and sharps system with regards to character creation. I'm all for the pre game set up.

[Cherry Lover]

So, the arcana would just mean what powers you had, right, rather than anything to do with your characterisation or alignment?

[lantzblades]

I think that's not quite right but Sol and YOLF are the parties involved in the ideas creation. So they need to be the ones to clarify it.