Two worlds: Introduction.

This is to expand on this note.

  For this setting there are two worlds.  The modern day earth and the second realm, Paragon.  Paragon is a mix of wonder and adventure.  Warring civilizations known collectively as tribes war over this realm, but this ware is quickly dragging us in.
 
  Paragon was released in our world originally as a video game.  But short months after it's release the realm of Paragon has begun to leak into our reality.  Even ordinary people have begun to lightly tap into the powers of Paragon through abilities labelled code by the government.  Code users have been able to date; turn into creatures of Paragon, summon and use it's odd equipment, teleport to it's unique locations and even wield odd abilities of Paragon.  Although the new and strangest ability to surface is the ability to alter and improve code.

  Now in dealing with the insurance from what people thought was a game, the servers to this Paragon have been cut.  But the government has begun recruiting old players. Those who were exceptional, helping them become coders, hoping to grant mankind a force to confront Paragon.  But rumours spread that other coders have thrown their lot in with the Tribes of Paragon, what reasons would drive a person to fight against his own?

New Campaign

So here are the long term campaign ideas guys.  Let me know what you think.

Yumi High: Season 2 – The Rebuilding

Pitch: A return of the Yumi High. Saved from the insane efforts of the ghost Alison. The School was abandoned by it's headmaster and after the events the dark patrons sponsoring the school arrived. Quickly assembling a new Staff and Slaves the school is being rebuild and structure to open up. And so a new year is coming, main the dark one have mercy.

Silver Grove

Pitch: 'Welcome to Silver Grove college. We believe that students learn better in an isolated community environment. So the facility is self contained with the ability to get everything you need with never leaving the campus.' But this is only what they want the public to know. The truth is that this private school hides mystical among mundane. Monsters and wizards hide in plain sight, keeping their true natures secret as they practice to live with the mundane. Helping them and their kin to survive another generation in the world of Man.

War of two worlds

Pitch: It was suppose to be just a game. You become a creature, hunt for gear and grand magic. Seek out new creatures to break down or mimic. A virtual reality game. That's what they said. But now it leaks into our world. Gremlins appear in machine shops, fairies laugh as they float through central park. Some players even claim they can take their game forms for a short time. Now the government has approached you, a player from the game. They need your help, both on earth, and in the game world. You ready to be a force of two worlds?

Magic Re-flooded

Pitch: Magic returns to the world in a flooding surge. Throwing the modern world into chaos. Lost arts resurface and mankind seeks to do what they do best. Adapt themselves and their environment. Can mankind find a place in this new magical world, while reality itself battles with waves of technology against magic?

Inspired Machine



Pitch:  Heart and soul of a machine. That is at the core of Inspired Machine. Robots that have emotions and are capable of existing beyond a simple machine or A.I., through evolution of their own and growing beyond their programming. This would be a futuristic game, where technology has advanced a great deal, utopia achieved and lost feeling in the background. Inspiration drawn from things like Ghost in the Shell, and Megaman X. Helping to get the feeling of such a setting.

Fate Core: Reserve Skills

So had an idea about extras that cost skills.  Reserve skills.  They are skill extras with specific effects but don't often, if ever, roll as skills.  They increase in rank and can be a place holder in skill columns.  I have an example below based on fantasy alchemy.

Reserve Skill:  Alchemy

  This reserve skill grants the PC an alchemy pool equal to double the rank in the skill.  This pool represents the alchemical materials the character has on them.  The PC may take actions to spend from this pool to create potions.  No potion may have more points from the alchemy pool then ranks in this skill.  Potions last until they are consumed or milestones.  At each milestone all potions spoil and the alchemy pool refreshes.  To start players with this skill can forge skill potions.  These potions are used to grant a bonus equal to the points spent for their next roll with that skill, then one less each test with that skill until the value returns to normal.

Stunts

Herbal gathering:  Once per game, spend a fate point and make a lore check, regain half the result to your alchemy pool.

Explosives:  Spend 2 from your alchemy pool and make a lore attack to everyone in a single zone adjacent to the one your are in.

Fate Core: Tournament Magi - Notice

So tested some of the rules I had thought would work for this concept and they did not work at all.  So back to the think tank and may start something else while I think.

Fate Core: Tournament Magi part 5 - Roles

Roles

  In addition to the normal character creation, each character will have a role or position on the team.  Each will have an advantage and what equipment, mundane or magic, the character can be armed with during the events.  Slots, is the kind of magic they can have and the limit by the rules of the tournament.  Roles will take up one of your aspects and the advantage can be triggered with a fate point.

Brute

  The Brute's roll is to supply physical strength and a deal of brutality during the match.  Larger people, including things like ogres and such often fill this role when a team is lucky enough.

Armaments Allowance:  Heavy weapons
Slots allowed on self (Max):  Runic (2)
Advantage:  Gain +3 armour when taking the blow for a teammate.

Bow

  A group all role for any that use ranged weapons that are not entirely composed of magic.  This could be a bow or sling, are something as fancy as bone darts or the ability to spit acid.

Armaments Allowance:  Ranged weapons
Slots allowed on self(Max):  Any (2)
Advantage:  Once per scene, ignore targets armour for one attack.

Devastator

  This is the name granted to a person capable of wielding destructive magics.  They may either be drawing them from seals, a natural born magic, or both.  Their role is to rain devastation upon the enemy.

Armaments Allowance:  Magi Staves and rings
Slots allowed on self (Max):  Any (3 + 2 attack based seals)
Advantage:  The Devastator may restore up to one seal.  Or can activate two seals in one action as long as they remain in the zone they are in, these seals can be activated without the sealing skill.

Knight

  The knight is an all around warrior on the team.  His advantage is versatility of armaments, and flexibility on the battlefield.

Armaments Allowance:  Any
Slots allowed on self (Max):  Any (2)
Advantage:  Once each scene the knight can change their weapon for any in the team armoury.

Medic

  The Medic is vital in longer events.  Their role can be vital on and off the battlefield.

Armaments Allowance:  Rings

Slots allowed on self:  Seals (3)

Advantage:  By spending one seals you may reduce the severity of one physical consequence by one degree.

Shiv

  The Shiv or knife, is the quick striker of the group.  They are often stealthy if the event requires and make excellent scouts or fighters.

Armaments Allowance:  Light weapon
Slots allowed on self (Max):  Runic (2)
Advantage:  (Not sure yet)

Rider

  Not everyone steps into the arena in person.  Some use magical creations or dominated minions to do their work, more often then not necromancer tend to go this route.  Due to fan rebellion only one role of this kind may be used outside of golems.  They are known as riders.


Armaments Allowance:  Minion
Slots allowed on self (Max):  Any (3)
Advantage:  (Not sure yet, other then the minion itself)

Fate Core: Tournament Magi part 4 - Magic Slots

Magic Slots

  In tournament Magi, the majority of magic comes in the form of imbued power through runes, seals and mystic gemstones.  Though other magic may exist in the world, it is not as common as these forms.  Runes and seals can be drawn on a persons body and imbued with magic.  Some items can hold them as well.  Gemstones can only be placed on items to release their power.  We will get into items more later though.

The power contained in the seal is measured on a mystic level.
-Art by goldentigers

Runes

  Runes hold sustainable power.  They last longer then seals but often provide far weaker advantages.  Rune smiths specialize in not only etching runes but designing new ones as well.  Runes provide an ability equivalent to a stunt, but only one rune may be active on a person or item at any time.  Activating a new one cancels the old one.  Some runes bolster seals and gemstones.  Charged runes last until minor milestones, before needing to recharge.

Seals

  Seals are often single use abilities.  They are stored for when needed and are used to create potent effects.  All seals require a test of skill to unlock and use, though sealing can always be substituted.  Hoping to have a design section for this soon.  Seal writers prepare seals for the team.


Gemstones

  Continuous items that can alter the abilities of the items they are placed into.  Some abilities rely on the gemstones to power them, as opposed to fate points for supernatural stunts.  Gemstones though recharge over time without assistance, unlike runes, making them highly sought.

Self vs items

  Most magic slots can be placed on people or items.  It requires high quality items to be placed into.  As well the Tournament Magi rulings limit the amount that any person can place on themselves based off the role on the team they fill.  More on roles tomorrow.

Notice

It would appear that I cannot reply to peoples comments for some reason.  If someone knows how I can fix this let me know please.

Fate Core: Tournament Magi part 3

Skills

Practicing for battle
-Art by Michael A Scott

  So I suppose it's time to talk about skills.  Let's start with the assumed default, then discuss what is going to change to make the Tournament Magi setting work for the PC's sheet.

Crafts - used for making non magical items only.  Finer items are needed to be used with runes and seals

Drive and Resources - Right out.  I don't see there being vehicles to drive and resources will either be handled by the Team sheet, or will be removed as a whole.  Considered putting Burglary and Rapport here too but thought they may be of use outside the ring.

New Skills Ideas

Managing - Dealing with the duties, delegation and scheduling of the team.

Runic - Identifying, charging and altering runes.  Maybe a stunt to make new ones or extra slots on roles in the team.  More to be spoken of this later.

Sealing - Like Runic for the seals.

Binding - Thoughts on controlling supernatural and magical creations.

Fate Core: Tournament Magi part 2

The Team

Ice Golem
-Art by Sade

  Before creation of the individual characters the team gets it's own sheet with a unique creation that should involve all participating players if possible.

Step 1:  The name

  The name of the team should be agreed upon by everyone involved.  Be creative and have fun with it.

Step 2:  Aspects

  Just like your character your team will have Aspects but only 2.  The team's Manager and the Owner.  These aspects can be used by any member of the team, but cost a fate point as usual.  Also they can be compelled but it does not cost a fate point to resist compels from your team's aspects.

Step 3:  Team Skills

  Team Skills are unique skills that the team gets.  They are a different set then the players have to select from but follow the same rules as players, the team acting as it's own character.  The team starts with a single rank 2 and two rank 1 team skills.   Below are the team skills, more about what this specific skills do will be covered later.

Doc/healer - Person who patches up the players after vicious matches.

Golem Crafter - The group that builds and maintains golems.  More expensive then rookies, but also last longer too.

Morality - Cheerleaders and Mascots

Patrons - The number and usefulness of your fans.

Rookies - Cannon fodder to fill roles that professionals (PCs) cannot on the field.

Rune Smith - prepares weapons for runes and seal marks.

Seal writer - In charge of recharging and maintaining seals.

Smith - Person in charge of creating the teams individual weapons for the tournaments.

Sponsors - Your team's access to wealth and buying victory.

Team's Spellbook -  How well the team discovers and remembers new runes and seals collected on the battlefield.

There will be more as I think of them, or get good suggestions.

Step 4:  Edge

 Every team has something they are known for.  The team's edge is like a stunt your team can use.  A couple of examples below.

Extra Navigator seal:  An extra team seal that can be unleashed during the match.

We do X well:  X is one of the team skills.  The team considers that skill to be one point higher.

Example

  The player get together for a new season of Tournament.  They decide they are the 'Dread Moons', and are going with a wild theme.  They are owned by a 'Old Reclusive Mage' and managed by 'Young Female Werecrow' which are now the team aspects.  

  When they get to skills the players decide they want to be the loved underdogs and take patron as their rank 2 skill.  Then they take Rookies and Morality at 1, showing they have priorities.  For they edge the take We do X well, and select Rookies as the edges advantage.

Thoughts

  Wondering if I should create stress tracks for the team.  Maybe something like Resources and Credibility? 

Fate Core: Tournament Magi part 1

  So had this idea in my head for a while about a tournament league game like the old yu-gi-oh TV series, certamen from Mage the Ascension or Awakening, and Blood Bowl all rolled into one.  It shall be named Tournament Magi, at least until I come up with a better name.  The characters will be all part of the same team, and the action and drama outside the battles will have just as much to add to the game as on the field.  So before I jump into the skills and specific mechanics I am going to post my goals for this setting and see which I meet.

'Not all participation will be human.'
-Art by Gary Dupuis

• Grant each character a role on the team, having more role options then possible team members.
• Use rune and seal slots for forms of magic tied to the roles.
• Have each chamber of the battle field with aspects that can change the advantages of roles.
• Runes and seals can be found/changed though secrets of the dungeons that battles are fought in.
• Team 'character sheet'.
• Have Golems.
• Make it fun.

Fate: What to work on?

  So I have read Fate Core Beta, and I am yearning to world build with it.  My only question is where to start.  I have a few ideas.  A simulation of the Megaman X universe, a setting focused around wizard tournaments and battles, or something else entirely.  Probably Megaman X though to start with something familiar to most people.

Introduction

So I have never had a blog before, but figured it would be a nice place to share my RPG interests.  I am currently fascinated with the upcoming Fate Core.  As well a fan of Mystic Empyrean, other open licence RPGs and really whatever random creation I, or someone I know has come up with at the time.  Hope to see and here people as I share :).