Schism - The Breakdown
 

THE RULES

**Note - information in italics is temporary until a consensus on magic is reached. Feel free to use this information to make a spellcaster but do not be upset if magic is removed from the game. If so, you'll need to remake your character.

Written by myself and Narsuun - altered and used with permission

Continuity

Hard continuity: Hard technologically advanced society in decline, human only. Genetic modification, while once popular, has long since died out. See 'Game World' for more about the continuity and its history.

Consent Status

No Consent. However, PKing for the hell of it won't be tolerated.

Character Limitations

There are to be human only, although you can take have previous genetic modification in your ancestry - this will have been many, many generations back and it will not allow serious character powerup or alteration - ask me if via PM if you have any questions and want to put that into your character. Characters suspected of being Genemods (having genetically modified individuals in their ancestry) are considered with serious distrust in the game world - think hard about whether you are okay with this kind of discrimination against your character.

There will be a limit of ONE character per player, and there will be NO use of copyrighted images. If I even -think- an image may be copyrighted I'm going to deny the use of that image.

The Hypertext d20 SRD (v3.5 d20 System Reference Document) :: d20srd.org is one of the best resources out there.

Main Page - D&D Wiki is also good, make sure you're using D&D 3.5 resources. Please don't use homebrew content.

I will also allow you to create your own classes, that encompass different combinations of skills. As with racial limitations, expect longer conversations.

As for character backgrounds, I have decided that the RP has no set, official backdrop. You may invent places that your character is from, and even collaborate on the creation of these places. Expect a conversation with me about your character's background.

Combat System

Every character involved in an RP gets three action points in one post - this includes NPCs. These action points can be spent on combat actions. More difficult actions take more action points. Here are some examples.

1 action point: A single attack, an off the hip ranged attack, moving a short distance, reloading small arms, drawing a weapon, jumping, Kirk rolling, light first aid

2 action points: A fast heavy attack, a fast aim ranged attack, multiple inaccurate attacks, a single accurate close range attack, reloading heavy weapons (crossbows, arbalests), running up to 30ft, climbing large objects, initiating a grapple, attempting to disarm someone, moderate first aid (heavy but not fatal bleeding, breaks of small bones - wrist, ankle, dislocated joints), breaking down a door, dragging someone

3 action points: Heavy attack, charging an opponent, lining up a very accurate shot, multiple accurate attacks, sprinting up to 60 ft, serious first aid for life threatening injuries, CPR, restraining a struggling opponent

Defending and counter attacks:

In order to dodge or block an incoming attack, the spent action points must be equal to those spent on the attack. If your character is attacked with an attack that used two action points, they must expend two action points in order to escape damage. In order to counter attack, your character must spend at least one action point on TOP of that, so defending, followed by a counter attack, would take three action points. A defender can chose not to use as many action points on the defense, but in this case they must take some (thought not all) of the damage. It is possible to to counter-attack without defending, but your character must take significant damage in order to do this.

Please remember that all attacks are attempts. No auto-hits!

Magic and Activated Technological Systems (ie, technology effects of used items):

The number of action points spent on a spell determine its complexity and power. Casters can decide to take multiple rounds casting for more powerful spells. They may also use some of their action points for other actions during a turn, however they are very limited in actions they can perform while casting. They may not perform any kind of attack, and if they take any damage, the spell is lost and must be started again.

Technology is also going to go by these rules - you will very likely not have access to any serious tech until mid-to-late game but please remember that tech takes a while to start up and the average combat post is generally accepted to be five to twenty seconds.

1 AP: Cantrips that are unable to cause damage or affect characters to distracting extent. Activation of item enchantments, activation of channeled abilities.

2 AP: No serious damage. Interruptions, distractions, basic actions or minor damage. Minor teleportation.

3-4 AP: Magic that has the potential to injure on a small scale via direct damage to a single opponent. Minor summoning, illusory or more advanced teleportation. Most common range of turns for healing magic.

5-6 AP: Major direct damage to a character. Less powerful area of effect spells. More advanced spellcasting, for spells that would dramatically alter a situation into the caster's favour.

7-8 AP: Major healing for characters near death. Spells that could potentially alter another character permanently. More effective, but not 'devastating' area of effect spells. Spells that require reality to be altered. Lasting enchantments.

9+ AP: Spells that kill. Area of effect spells on a larger scale. When you get in to catastrophic spells, ask admin first! Major reality altering events. Ask admin first!

Additional magic/tech rules:

* Declare your spells when you start them!

* While some movements and actions may merely pause spellcasting, ANY physical damage to a character or extremely distracting circumstances (convulsions, having a sensitive nerve hit, being choked, etc) WILL interrupt the spell.

* Movements that will not interrupt spellcasting include walking, jogging short distances, minor dodges such as sidestepping, ducking, minor parries, or performing light tasks.

* Movements that will interrupt spellcasting include sprinting, jumping, rolling, performing difficult tasks, full blocks, complex parries, or making a physical attack.

* Some characters may be trained to perform difficult tasks such as riding or flying while casting. Some may be trained to endure damage while casting. These are trained abilities ONLY and must be approved by admin [IE, me!] No character may be trained to make a physical attack while casting.

* A character who takes damage and is able to complete their spell may not cast again for a number of AP equal to those spent preparing the spell. If they try, fatigue will overcome them and they will pass out. Their next spell must be of an equal or lesser number of AP. If they try to cast a more powerful spell afterward, they will pass out. If they do not take damage during their next spell, these restrictions are lifted.

* To defend against a spell another character is casting, your character should use an equal amount of AP preparing a magical defense.

During character creation, you may give your character up to five perks. Each perk must be offset by a weakness, so that they are equal. Both perks and weaknesses MUST involve abilities that are available to your chosen class.

Perks will give your character a minus one AP cost when performing related activities.

Weaknesses will give your character a plus one AP cost when performing related activities.

For example;

A mage might take an Illusion perk, decreasing the cost of all illusion spells they cast by one AP, and take a weakness in evocation, increasing the cost of all evocation spells by one AP.

A fighter might take a perk related to a specific weapon, like longsword, reducing all AP costs for actions that directly involve that weapon. He might also take a weakness in shields, increasing the AP cost of all actions he takes while using a shield.

A battlemage might take a perk in combat casting, reducing all AP costs for spells cast while in melee combat, but a weakness in ranged casting, increasing the AP cost of all spells that target opponents further than five feet away. Or visa-versa

You may take as many or few as you like, you don't have to include any of them at all if you want to have a character with a wide range of skills.

Things to Note:

* Please include a list of skills and abilities in your character sheet.
* Magic users: please include a list of spells and their AP costs.
* Minimum post length: One paragraph - use proper grammar please!
* There is a strict post order, please do not post out of turn.

Here is the character profile sheet. You don't have to use it, but I would like to see all this information on a sheet if applicable, no matter how it's designed. It is suggested you send the profile sheet to me and keep a copy of it for yourself - I will post the relevant information, as it's perfectly acceptable for each of you to have private skill lists ;D It makes the game more interesting if not everyone knows what everyone else can do!

Name:

Age:

Alignment:

Requested Class:

Perks:

Weaknesses:

Physical Description:

History:

Personality:

Equipment:

Class Abilities:

Spell list:

The Game World

The year is 56 in the Tychid Dynasty (2497). The world has mostly gone back to nature, with forests and such returning to swallow most small towns and even moderately sized citys. New Tycha is one of the few large cities left, and is where the initial phase of our story will begin - It is placed on a bay with a large river feeding the lush forests of upstate Nieu Yeerk. The bay itself is called the Hyutson in the Old Speech. The guards of the king keep the forests and animals from encroaching too much on the people there and while somewhat despotic, there is at least a measure of safety there - Most consider it a fair trade.

The legends are not exactly clear on the nature of what really happened - what is known is that whatever happened, most of the Old People left or died, taking their knowledge with them. In their absence most of the infrastructure of their civilization declined. Medicine, warfare tech and general literacy all declined rapidly after the Fall.

The Tech level of the game is somewhat lower than our own - think steampunk. Gunpowder weapons are heard of, but rather rare - so are the rounds that feed them. Most are extremely old and have degraded to the point of being unusable, but there are legends of men who still remember the Old Weapons and how to fix them. Some even say there are Magicians who can mix the deadly powder those rounds require but few believe such flights of fancy. Nearly all energy weapons have run out of power in the time since the Old People left - The majority of weapons used are those that are easily repairable and taught - melee weapons, bows. Some have old hand-me-down guns, but as we've already mentioned, used those at your own risk!

In the past hundred years or so, people have begun returning to superstition - Scieta (psy-et-ah), whose goals are to understand the technology of the Old People and Magicians are treated with equal awe and suspicion. The majority of people cannot or will not use magic, and those who can tend to withdraw from society to train their minds and abilities with older Masters until they are sent back into the world to teach themselves - not all choose to do so, certainly.

Mundanes tend to live their lives as they will in the city, though the penalties for crossing the laws are stiff - Theft is punishable by removing an ear or nose and the like. Murder is a capital crime, punishable by death. It is in the player's best interests, should they be interested in such things to do so far from the guards or witnesses.