[DragonsITP] Dragons, Dragons Everywhere! Redux OOC

[Grif]

Have you ever wondered what does it feel like to roleplay as a dragon? How about a dragon out of many in a high-fantasy world? A dragon that’s vying for power, wealth or even love with all the other dragons in the world.

Look no further!

Okay, cheesy blurb aside, this is an attempt to gauge interest in starting up an all-dragon FFRP. Inspired by Pokonic’s original dragon game, here I am again, trying to see if we can restart it in some manner. You can read about the original IC thread here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?227689-Dragons-Dragons-everywhere!-IC-thread). (OOC gone, sadly enough, unless someone managed to archive it.)

So, how would this game even run, you might ask. Well, I am in the midst of building an original magi-tech(k) setting for this, or at least, the general outlines. But of course, having a setting is no fun if you don’t actually use it. And I always liked the idea for collaborative story-telling and world-building. That's where you, interested readers, come in. It's actually rather easy. Create a dragon, and roleplay away! If you decide that your dragon comes with a whole load of backstory and might even have affected the world, go for it. If you prefer to just be yourself and take the world as it is, that's fine too! There's no pressure to roleplay more than you're comfortable with.

So, uh, anyone interested?

Update: Very, very rough draft of the world here (https://docs.google.com/document/d/156WQ93-cU0h_HwtBXOxn2KnM5BrZbB0v7VcIBvDG5yg/edit).

Update2: Characters go into here (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JsaGE24UYrfIIpcuCCWS4WG0A41YFPcWl2MAYXshf5g/edit#heading=h.x38hy0dp2qv3).

Character sheets, everyone loves them! Use one of these:
Description
Name: (Your name, of course)
Gender: (Male, female, other.)
Body: (Describe your general body. Standard, feathered, landwyrm, wyvern, sea serpent, hydra, naga, eastern... )
Head: (Smooth or ridged. Or perhaps adorned with bling.)
Horns: (Have them? Short or long?)
Claws: (Surely you have these, right?)
Scale Color: (Pick your favourite!)
Size: (Average? Large? Small? XXXXS?)
Body length: (Long or short?)
Wings: (Can you fly? If so, you should have these. Comes in leathery, feathery or magical forms. Or anything else you might think of!)
Tail: (Long? Short? Bladed? Spiked? Bare? Doubles as a weapon in desperate times too!)
Breath: (Do you breathe fire? Or something more exotic, like ice, lightning, poison, acid or even just water.)
Additional modifications: (Do you have extra accessories? List them here!)

Detailed description: (If you like.)

Personality: (Tell us about yourself. Or don’t, and be the mysterious dragon of the night.)

Relationship: (Have a grudge against someone? Burned down a floating town on a lake recently? Perhaps you serve a king? Detail them here.)

History: (When I was a young hatchling…)

Stats
Strength:
Agility:
Intelligence:
Wisdom:
Toughness:
Charisma:

Abilities
Purely for reference. This section is entirely optional.


My thanks to Rater202 for providing this:
Description
Name:
Sex/Gender:
Dragon type-Body Type and/or Species or subspecies of dragon
What you look like, in Detail, including head shape, wings if present, size, number of limbs, scale or other hide color, and other specific details on your dragon.

Who you are and where you come from.


Describe your dragon-How strong are they? Do they have breath weapon? Can the fly? If so, how? Do they have magical powers or unique abilities? Are they poisonous? Be specific as possible, if you're a big dragon who can lift several tons, describe how many tons they can lift, and how long they cans support it. If they have natural weapons, give at least a general idea of how sharp the fangs or claws or horns are. How tough are your scales ad bones compared to, say, a human's body?

[DJ Yung Crunk]

Have you ever wondered what does it feel like to roleplay as a dragon? How about a dragon out of many in a high-fantasy world? A dragon that’s vying for power, wealth or even love with all the other dragons in the world.

Look no further!

Okay, cheesy blurb aside, this is an attempt to gauge interest in starting up an all-dragon FFRP. Inspired by Pokonic’s original dragon game, here I am again, trying to see if we can restart it in some manner. You can read about the original IC thread here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?227689-Dragons-Dragons-everywhere!-IC-thread). (OOC gone, sadly enough, unless someone managed to archive it.)

So, how would this game even run, you might ask. Well, I am in the midst of building an original magi-tech(k) setting for this, or at least, the general outlines. But of course, having a setting is no fun if you don’t actually use it. And I always liked the idea for collaborative story-telling and world-building. That's where you, interested readers, come in. It's actually rather easy. Create a dragon, and roleplay away! If you decide that your dragon comes with a whole load of backstory and might even have affected the world, go for it.

So, uh, anyone interested?

Let's hope your foray into this method yields more promise than mine. I don't want to throw a pity party or anything. I'd rather have others do it for me. I'll act surprised, I promise.

As for your concept, I'm intrigued, but I'd have to hear more about the backstory before I make a commitment. Consider me on the hook.

[PurityIcekiller]

Seeing as I'm an experienced dragon roleplayer, you can count me in. I can reprise my old character ideas, and possibly bring in some new ones.

[igordragonian]

Sound intresting. How should the sheet looks like?

[Grif]

Let's hope your foray into this method yields more promise than mine. I don't want to throw a pity party or anything. I'd rather have others do it for me. I'll act surprised, I promise.

As for your concept, I'm intrigued, but I'd have to hear more about the backstory before I make a commitment. Consider me on the hook.

Fair enough! I hope your game goes well. Shame I am personally not interested in Who. I'll try and get a backstory up by this week.


Seeing as I'm an experienced dragon roleplayer, you can count me in. I can reprise my old character ideas, and possibly bring in some new ones.

Yay! Welcome back!


Sound intresting. How should the sheet looks like?

Good question. The original rules have long disappeared into the aether, but I'd most probably reuse the sheet Pokonic had used, with some modifications for free form play.

Here's the sheet in question:
STATS
Name:
Gender:
Body:
Head:
Horns:
Claws:
Scale Color:
Body length:
Tail:
Breath:
Stats:
Health:
Strength:
Agility:
Intelligence:
Toughness:
Charisma:
Evilness:
Cruelty:
Intimidation:
Fame:
Trustworthiness:

ATTACKS


It's not final, but something like this would be used as a guideline for character sheets.

[DJ Yung Crunk]

STATS
Name:
Gender:
Body:
Head:
Horns:
Claws:
Scale Color:
Body length:
Tail:
Breath:
Stats:
Health:
Strength:
Agility:
Intelligence:
Toughness:
Charisma:
Evilness:
Cruelty:
Intimidation:
Fame:
Trustworthiness:

ATTACKS


You might have to post an example sheet to give context for a lot of these vague fields.

[PurityIcekiller]

You might have to post an example sheet to give context for a lot of these vague fields.

There are some in the old thread. Here's mine.

Name: Sparkwing.
Gender: Male.
Body: Standard.
Head: Rough.
Horns: Standard.
Claws: Standard.
Scale Color: Blue.
Body length: Short.
Tail: Bladed.
Breath: Lightning.
Stats:
Health: 86
Strength: 50
Agility: 65
Intelligence: 60
Toughness: 45
Charisma: 50
Evilness: 50
Cruelty: 50
Intimidation: 65
Fame: 0
Trustworthiness: 50

ATTACKS
Claws - 16
Bite - 20
Tail - 23
Ramming- 19

Note that these stats are from the old version of the system, and do not necessarily reflect either the rules Grif will use or any incarnation of Sparkwing I may play. I expect Grif will want to scale down many of the stats by a factor of 5, and I'd have lowered Sparkwing's Strength in exchange for more Charisma if I'd had the chance.

[Lord Raziere]

I have roleplayed a dragon once before, and I am eager to do so again.

as for the setting: well I've got my own ideas for an entire dragon culture, but at the same time I don't want it to affect the entire setting. especially since I have no idea what said setting is like and might not work in it?

also the dragon I will be roleplaying will be new version of an old character of mine: Zarakkan, a mad scientist dragon who is a half breed of a blue dragon and a red dragon. and no, he is not purple. thats not how genetics work.

[Rater202]

I have to ask what kind of dragons and also why there are numerical stats-especially health, in a Freeform game?

I imagine just having a "ranking system" for a general idea of how stronger, fast, big, good at flying, hard to hurt you are etc. for general comparison and stuff would be enough, for freeform purposes, perhaps on a letter scale?

In particular, in a free form game things like charisma, fame, and trust worthyness should be handled entirely though roleplaying.

[Lord Raziere]

I agree with Rater, I mean the stats I would put for "Evilness" and "Cruelty" alone would be "No" and "Hell No." for anyone I want to be sympathetic.

[PurityIcekiller]

I have to ask what kind of dragons and also why there are numerical stats-especially health, in a Freeform game?

I imagine just having a "ranking system" for a general idea of how stronger, fast, big, good at flying, hard to hurt you are etc. for general comparison and stuff would be enough, for freeform purposes, perhaps on a letter scale?

In particular, in a free form game things like charisma, fame, and trust worthyness should be handled entirely though roleplaying.

Yeah, the stats will probably be more guidelines than hard-and-fast restrictions; they suggest what you might be able to do, but don't dictate it. And I guess it doesn't make a lot of sense to set reputation- and alignment-based variables at the start; it'll be more that what happens in-game affects those stats than the other way around.

As for the type of dragon, that's pretty flexible. The old rules allowed for small dragons, big dragons, dragons that breathed acid, lightning, fire, ice, sonic waves or healing energy, dragons without special breath, multi-headed hydras, legless dragons, dragons with blisteringly hot hides... You get the idea. As long as it's a dragon of some kind, it'll probably be fine.

[Rater202]

Are there races other than Dragons in this setting or is this like, just an all dragon world? Because, well, you know that Denominational where it's the knight, and the princess is in skimpy clothing and chained to a rock, and then there's a dragon approaching them, and the caption is "I've come to rescue you." "No you fool, you're going to ruin everything, now get out of here before my girlfriend gets back."

I'v kind of got like, a lot of dragon and dragonlike characters, and one of them is the result of a situation where maidns from a kingdom are sent to a dragon's den to serenade the dragon with sweet songs in exchange for the dragon serving as a guardian, and one of the maidens kind of um,developing a thing for the dragon and vice versa...

[Artemis97]

I'll post my tentative interest in this. I like dragons a whole awful lot, but I've never really RPed one, since they're usually so overpowered. But in a game full of them, that won't be a problem! Wee!

[Grif]

So many questions while I was asleep! I'll try my best to answer them all.


You might have to post an example sheet to give context for a lot of these vague fields.

Purity already posted one, but I'll explain more below.



as for the setting: well I've got my own ideas for an entire dragon culture, but at the same time I don't want it to affect the entire setting. especially since I have no idea what said setting is like and might not work in it?

The thing I'm trying to shoot for is that I establish a general framework for the region, and then players can set their own stories in it accordingly. If you like, PM me your stuff, and we'll see if we can incorporate it into the setting.


I have to ask what kind of dragons and also why there are numerical stats-especially health, in a Freeform game?

I imagine just having a "ranking system" for a general idea of how stronger, fast, big, good at flying, hard to hurt you are etc. for general comparison and stuff would be enough, for freeform purposes, perhaps on a letter scale?

In particular, in a free form game things like charisma, fame, and trust worthyness should be handled entirely though roleplaying.

The original had numerical stats. But obviously, that wouldn't work in a freeform.

Here's how I think it would go:
There's three parts to the sheet:
- The first part is "cosmetics". They should describe your dragon. Aside from that, entirely optional.
- "Stats" are a rough guideline only. There's no pressure to actually conform strictly to it, though obviously, you'd want it to be as accurate as possible to prevent possible player misunderstandings. It's like rankings, but a little more precise, in my mind.
- The "reputation" stats (charisma, fame, trustworthiness) would probably be left out of the actual character sheet. Instead, I may just assign it to the character once you posted your backstory, if only to give the player a sense of how well-known they are, and how they're regarded. They'll probably be deprecated as soon as we get the RP going in earnest, but I feel it'll make a nice starting baseline for interactions.


Are there races other than Dragons in this setting or is this like, just an all dragon world? Because, well, you know that Denominational where it's the knight, and the princess is in skimpy clothing and chained to a rock, and then there's a dragon approaching them, and the caption is "I've come to rescue you." "No you fool, you're going to ruin everything, now get out of here before my girlfriend gets back."

I'v kind of got like, a lot of dragon and dragonlike characters, and one of them is the result of a situation where maidns from a kingdom are sent to a dragon's den to serenade the dragon with sweet songs in exchange for the dragon serving as a guardian, and one of the maidens kind of um,developing a thing for the dragon and vice versa...

Yes, there will be other races. The usual fantasy-fare of humans, elves, dwarves, etc, but in a setting where magic and tech are both used together. However, since dragons are quite numerous as well, they won't automatically be the awe-inspiring beasts as they would be in fantasy, but will be treated more like an every-day occurrence. (You still can be an awe-inspiring beast yourself, of course. But your fellows might be overshadowed as a result.)

[igordragonian]

Can we start as a legendary dragons already?
I.. had an idea for a dragon for rulling a dwarf kingdom

[DJ Yung Crunk]

(You still can be an awe-inspiring beast yourself, of course. But your fellows might be overshadowed as a result.)

I don't mind being overshadowed. Being the little guy is an underrated role.

[Rater202]

So many questions while I was asleep! I'll try my best to answer them all.



Purity already posted one, but I'll explain more below.


The thing I'm trying to shoot for is that I establish a general framework for the region, and then players can set their own stories in it accordingly. If you like, PM me your stuff, and we'll see if we can incorporate it into the setting.



The original had numerical stats. But obviously, that wouldn't work in a freeform.

Here's how I think it would go:
There's three parts to the sheet:
- The first part is "cosmetics". They should describe your dragon. Aside from that, entirely optional.
- "Stats" are a rough guideline only. There's no pressure to actually conform strictly to it, though obviously, you'd want it to be as accurate as possible to prevent possible player misunderstandings. It's like rankings, but a little more precise, in my mind.
- The "reputation" stats (charisma, fame, trustworthiness) would probably be left out of the actual character sheet. Instead, I may just assign it to the character once you posted your backstory, if only to give the player a sense of how well-known they are, and how they're regarded. They'll probably be deprecated as soon as we get the RP going in earnest, but I feel it'll make a nice starting baseline for interactions.



Yes, there will be other races. The usual fantasy-fare of humans, elves, dwarves, etc, but in a setting where magic and tech are both used together. However, since dragons are quite numerous as well, they won't automatically be the awe-inspiring beasts as they would be in fantasy, but will be treated more like an every-day occurrence. (You still can be an awe-inspiring beast yourself, of course. But your fellows might be overshadowed as a result.)
Okay, maybe the elf-dragon inst the best choice.

Hmmm. I once had an idea for a rare type of dragon-their "true dragons" that have little to no magical ability, no natural breath weapon, ad their wings don't necessarily work right so they have troubles flying if they can at all. In terms of size they're between the size of dogs and about the size of a tall human, if they stood up on their hind legs.

They're rare because, being naturally so such weaker than other dragons, they're easily stamped out in conflict with other dragons. So, what's th e trade off? They can absorb the traits of things they eat-eat rocks and metals and their bones and scales become harder, eat the flesh of an animal that's known for strength, they get stronger, that kind of thing. Eat something bigger than they are, and they can make themselves grow.Eat a bird or other flyer, and the wings get stronger.

Eat the heart of a magical creature, they gain some of its magical powers or ones similar to it. Eat a magic item, get some of it's properties. Eat something enfused with elemental or magical energy, and then the dragon has a breath weapon.

There's two ways this could go-The first is that my example of this species is bitter over being so weak when other kinds of dragon are so strong and is deliberately hunting for things to eat so that he can become strong enough to "Show them, show them All! Muhahahahah!"... But I've kind of already done a character like that in another game(though he's grown out of it to a degree.)

The other option is I make it a full on Toriko reference with a dragon that's a master chef who thinks that cooking his meals just right will maximize the power he gets from the food.

[Grif]

Can we start as a legendary dragons already?
I.. had an idea for a dragon for rulling a dwarf kingdom

You may. Though I would try and shoot for something that isn't too bombastic. :smalltongue:


I don't mind being overshadowed. Being the little guy is an underrated role.

Indeed.


Okay, maybe the elf-dragon inst the best choice.

Hmmm. I once had an idea for a rare type of dragon-their "true dragons" that have little to no magical ability, no natural breath weapon, ad their wings don't necessarily work right so they have troubles flying if they can at all. In terms of size they're between the size of dogs and about the size of a tall human, if they stood up on their hind legs.

They're rare because, being naturally so such weaker than other dragons, they're easily stamped out in conflict with other dragons. So, what's th e trade off? They can absorb the traits of things they eat-eat rocks and metals and their bones and scales become harder, eat the flesh of an animal that's known for strength, they get stronger, that kind of thing. Eat something bigger than they are, and they can make themselves grow.Eat a bird or other flyer, and the wings get stronger.

Eat the heart of a magical creature, they gain some of its magical powers or ones similar to it. Eat a magic item, get some of it's properties. Eat something enfused with elemental or magical energy, and then the dragon has a breath weapon.

There's two ways this could go-The first is that my example of this species is bitter over being so weak when other kinds of dragon are so strong and is deliberately hunting for things to eat so that he can become strong enough to "Show them, show them All! Muhahahahah!"... But I've kind of already done a character like that in another game(though he's grown out of it to a degree.)

The other option is I make it a full on Toriko reference with a dragon that's a master chef who thinks that cooking his meals just right will maximize the power he gets from the food.

A "Kirby" dragon sounds a little terrifying, actually. And not at all dragon-like. But an interesting idea nonetheless. The second sounds more like a Gordon Ramsey. :smalltongue:

[Rater202]

A "Kirby" dragon sounds a little terrifying, actually. And not at all dragon-like. But an interesting idea nonetheless. The second sounds more like a Gordon Ramsey. :smalltongue:

Not quite a Kirby dragon-Kirby absorbs 100% of the special abilities of what he eats, it's temporary, and he can only have so many at a time-these dragons sort of absorb a portion of the strengths of things they eat. Dragons are sometimes depicted as engines of destruction that devour everything in sight, and this idea kind of plays to that.

There's also be a diminishing returns thing, i think-once you've eaten a rock to make your scales harder, eating that same rock in'st going to do as much, so you'd have to eat more and more and more of that rock each time for a noticeable increase in hardness and eventually it just won't be worth it and you'll have to find another kind of rock-one that's even harder,and after you eat that you'll either need to eat more and more of it or find an even harder rock.

Likewise, if you consume a bull to gain some of it's strength, next time you'd have to consume two or three for the same boost and the time after that you'd have to eat an entire herd of cattle for the same bonus.

I also think there'd have to be a bear minimum amount consumed to get anything out of it and hat plants and animals would have to be consumed relatively fresh before.

And I think that any absorbed powers would manifest in dragon-like ways whenever possible-eating the heart of a demon-spider wouldn't give the dragon the power to walk on walls or spinnerets, but it might give it a breath weapon of magical threads to slow down or immobilize things.

As for the second one, well, the idea was for an eccentric character-He thinks that if he cooks the stuff he eats just right and maximize the flavor and pays respect to the stuff it's made of, and pairs it with other ingredients that complement it on both flavor and theme, that he'll maximize the portion of the power he absorbs from it. If you've ever seen Toriko or read the Manga, it's a bit like food honor.

Whether or not it actually works or if it's just a crazy dragon being crazy will be ambiguous unless and until such a time as it would be funny, awesome, or dramatic for it to be proven one way or the other.

also, the idea of a master chef that's a monster (dragon) makes me laugh,

If it doesn't work I've got other ideas.

[Grif]

Not quite a Kirby dragon-Kirby absorbs 100% of the special abilities of what he eats, it's temporary, and he can only have so many at a time-these dragons sort of absorb a portion of the strengths of things they eat. Dragons are sometimes depicted as engines of destruction that devour everything in sight, and this idea kind of plays to that.

There's also be a diminishing returns thing, i think-once you've eaten a rock to make your scales harder, eating that same rock in'st going to do as much, so you'd have to eat more and more and more of that rock each time for a noticeable increase in hardness and eventually it just won't be worth it and you'll have to find another kind of rock-one that's even harder,and after you eat that you'll either need to eat more and more of it or find an even harder rock.

Likewise, if you consume a bull to gain some of it's strength, next time you'd have to consume two or three for the same boost and the time after that you'd have to eat an entire herd of cattle for the same bonus.

I also think there'd have to be a bear minimum amount consumed to get anything out of it and hat plants and animals would have to be consumed relatively fresh before.

And I think that any absorbed powers would manifest in dragon-like ways whenever possible-eating the heart of a demon-spider wouldn't give the dragon the power to walk on walls or spinnerets, but it might give it a breath weapon of magical threads to slow down or immobilize things.

Hm, seems fine then. Although your character might still be looked upon rather curiously by your fellow dragons. But maybe that's your intention.



As for the second one, well, the idea was for an eccentric character-He thinks that if he cooks the stuff he eats just right and maximize the flavor and pays respect to the stuff it's made of, and pairs it with other ingredients that complement it on both flavor and theme, that he'll maximize the portion of the power he absorbs from it. If you've ever seen Toriko or read the Manga, it's a bit like food honor.

Whether or not it actually works or if it's just a crazy dragon being crazy will be ambiguous unless and until such a time as it would be funny, awesome, or dramatic for it to be proven one way or the other.

also, the idea of a master chef that's a monster (dragon) makes me laugh,

If it doesn't work I've got other ideas.

I actually like this idea better, if only because quirky personalities always spices up any sort of RP. :smalltongue:

Also, for those who are following the progress of the world, here's a very, very rough draft. (https://docs.google.com/document/d/156WQ93-cU0h_HwtBXOxn2KnM5BrZbB0v7VcIBvDG5yg/edit) Comments and thoughts are appreciated. Bear in mind it is not complete yet.

[Rater202]

I actually like this idea better

There's no "better" here-it's an idea specifically for my "rare eater dragon" race.

[Grif]

There's no "better" here-it's an idea specifically for my "rare eater dragon" race.

I see. Carry on then! :smallsmile:

[igordragonian]

Alright.. how about a son of dragon who died protecting his dwarvem kingdom.
Now he have to try to fill his father's role

[Grif]

Alright.. how about a son of dragon who died protecting his dwarvem kingdom.
Now he have to try to fill his father's role

Sounds interesting! Would look forward to seeing you flesh out this idea.

[DJ Yung Crunk]

Right. When do we start?

[Grif]

Right. When do we start?

I presume as soon as a significant majority of us has got their characters ready and willing to start the RP. Which reminds me I should really post up a sample character sheet as guidelines. Thanks for that.

[DJ Yung Crunk]

I look forward to it.

[Grif]

Let's see if this works. An updated character sheet, as well as a sample for our visiting dragon, Smaug the Golden.

Description
Name: (Your name, of course)
Gender: (Male, female, other.)
Body: (Describe your general body. Standard, feathered, landwyrm, wyvern, sea serpent, hydra, naga, eastern... )
Head: (Smooth or ridged. Or perhaps adorned with bling.)
Horns: (Have them? Short or long?)
Claws: (Surely you have these, right?)
Scale Color: (Pick your favourite!)
Size: (Average? Large? Small? XXXXS?)
Body length: (Long or short?)
Wings: (Can you fly? If so, you should have these. Comes in leathery, feathery or magical forms. Or anything else you might think of!)
Tail: (Long? Short? Bladed? Spiked? Bare? Doubles as a weapon in desperate times too!)
Breath: (Do you breathe fire? Or something more exotic, like ice, lightning, poison, acid or even just water.)
Additional modifications: (Do you have extra accessories? List them here!)

Detailed description: (If you like.)

Personality: (Tell us about yourself. Or don’t, and be the mysterious dragon of the night.)

Relationship: (Have a grudge against someone? Burned down a floating town on a lake recently? Perhaps you serve a king? Detail them here.)

History: (When I was a young hatchling…)

Stats
A 10 would be considered average amongst dragonkind. 20 would be considered first-rate. 30 means you’re probably the best in the world at this. Rate yourself accordingly.
Strength:
Agility:
Intelligence:
Wisdom:
Toughness:
Charisma:

Reputation
Unless stated otherwise, you can leave these out. Your resident storyteller will assign them based on your backstory. Rate on a scale of -10 to 10.
Goodness/Evilness:
Compassion/Cruelty:
Intimidation:
Fame:
Trustworthiness:

Attacks
Purely for reference. This section is entirely optional.


Description
Name: Smaug
Gender: Male
Body: Wyvern
Head: Smooth
Horns: None
Claws: Normal
Scale Color: Golden
Size: Large
Body length: Long
Wings: Leathery
Tail: Long
Breath: Fire
Additional modifications: Has only two legs, with his wings molded into part of his forelegs

Detailed description: Also has eyes like those of a cat.

Personality: Smaug is a most specially greedy, strong and wicked dragon. Yes, really. He also really, really, really likes gold.

Relationship: Does not like the dwarves, humans, elves, hobbits, orcs and goblins. Hates other dragons. Applications for minions are still ongoing.

History: Smaug likes gold. A lot. So much so that he went and claimed the riches of the Lonely Mountain for himself. Oh, and he also burned quite a bit of dwarves there.

Stats
Strength: 20
Agility: 16
Intelligence: 16
Wisdom: 12
Toughness: 24
Charisma: 12

Smaug is decidedly not average, as you can imagine.

Reputation
Goodness/Evilness: -8
Compassion/Cruelty: -8
Intimidation: 10
Fame: 10
Trustworthiness: -2

Attacks
Fire breath
Tail swing
Fireball attack
Great roar

[Rater202]

I still don't like that sheet-there shouldn't be a reputation section at all and Numerical values for stats just feels wrong-Especially since we don't have a scale[-What exactly is Average for a dragon, anyway? And average how? is 30 the absolute maximum or is it just exceptional.

And do physical attributes scale with the size of a dragon or are we expected to adjust accordingly?

I still think a that either we use a letter scale system to keep things more general-E D C B A S, maybe? or just have people describe their physical attributes in an ability section in the sheet?

Speaking of which, only having a section on attacks and a breath weapon is kind of unfair-there are stories of dragons with magical powers or abilities other than breath weapons and natural weapons-really there should just be an "abilities" section that we fill in on our own.

And I still don't think we need a reputation system at all-that should be pure roleplay, putting numbers on it just gets people upset when people ignore it.

And whose the storyteller? This is freeform, there is no storyteller in freeform.

If I may?Description
Name:
Sex/Gender:
Dragon type-Body Type and/or Species or subspecies of dragon
What you look like, in Detail, including head shape, wings if present, size, number of limbs, scale or other hide color, and other specific details on your dragon.

Who you are and where you come from.


Describe your dragon-How strong are they? Do they have breath weapon? Can the fly? If so, how? Do they have magical powers or unique abilities? Are they poisonous? Be specific as possible, if you're a big dragon who can lift several tons, describe how many tons they can lift, and how long they cans support it. If they have natural weapons, give at least a general idea of how sharp the fangs or claws or horns are. How tough are your scales ad bones compared to, say, a human's body?

[igordragonian]

Waiting for final form of sheet..

[Dorizzit]

Not much to say, but I've been lurking for a bit and completely agree with Rater202.

[Grif]

I still don't like that sheet-there shouldn't be a reputation section at all and Numerical values for stats just feels wrong-Especially since we don't have a scale[-What exactly is Average for a dragon, anyway? And average how? is 30 the absolute maximum or is it just exceptional.

And do physical attributes scale with the size of a dragon or are we expected to adjust accordingly?

I still think a that either we use a letter scale system to keep things more general-E D C B A S, maybe? or just have people describe their physical attributes in an ability section in the sheet?

Speaking of which, only having a section on attacks and a breath weapon is kind of unfair-there are stories of dragons with magical powers or abilities other than breath weapons and natural weapons-really there should just be an "abilities" section that we fill in on our own.

And I still don't think we need a reputation system at all-that should be pure roleplay, putting numbers on it just gets people upset when people ignore it.

And whose the storyteller? This is freeform, there is no storyteller in freeform.

If I may?Description
Name:
Sex/Gender:
Dragon type-Body Type and/or Species or subspecies of dragon
What you look like, in Detail, including head shape, wings if present, size, number of limbs, scale or other hide color, and other specific details on your dragon.

Who you are and where you come from.


Describe your dragon-How strong are they? Do they have breath weapon? Can the fly? If so, how? Do they have magical powers or unique abilities? Are they poisonous? Be specific as possible, if you're a big dragon who can lift several tons, describe how many tons they can lift, and how long they cans support it. If they have natural weapons, give at least a general idea of how sharp the fangs or claws or horns are. How tough are your scales ad bones compared to, say, a human's body?

Excellent questions. One at a time.

First off. My views on a letter system. They never work. They never did in a previous RP where we used them, and they never worked in any of the free form I joined that used them subsequently. People either stick to them too rigidly, or just flat-out ignored it. Here, I'm trying to experiment, see if we can get a useful system. If your concern is that people will get upset, then they'll do so regardless a numerical or letter system is used. As what is average for a dragon, now that's a stickler, isn't it? I have no real baseline for a dragon's power here, them being fantasy creatures and all, so you got me there.

On stats, assuming we use them, yes, attributes are supposed to scale with size. They are supposed to give you an idea how strong your dragon are. Of course, only strength and toughness(?) are really only scaled with size, so that's not really a problem in my book. (Agility should scale inversely, actually.)

Agree on the "Attacks" section. That should have read as "Abilities" instead.

On reputation system. They are not meant to be binding and serve only as a guide for the start of the RP, when you'd be primarily interacting with the world first, or just with each other. I figure it is a convenient way to convey just how well-liked/disliked you are. I'm fine with dropping it if other thinks they're superfluous, however. I have no real stake in that.

On story-teller, this might be presumptuous of me, but I believe that a completely pure free-form does not work here. Not especially when we aren't borrowing from another media's setting that we could have used as a base, and essentially making up the world as we go. The chances for early player conflicts and such grows exponentially on such a patchwork setting. Especially when everyone has very different ideas on what dragons should be, what powers they should have, what the world of dragons should be. As such, I already made up a world (which I hope wouldn't go to waste, though that's a real possibility :smalltongue:) to start it off, and to minimise disruptions and make sure we're all on the same page, I'll be sort of playing the role of story-teller to ease everyone into it. With luck, and time, I can ease off and let you guys do your own things, and you guys can be story-tellers in turn if you so wish. (By story-teller here, I mean set the setting, and play the important NPCs like rulers of kingdoms, maybe NPC dragons, etc.)

Did I miss out anything? :smallsmile: Oh, bear in mind everything is still AlphaTM, so really feel free to poke holes into anything you like. Nothing's set in stone as of yet.

[Artemis97]

As a veteran FFRPer, let me put my 2cp in here. Every stats system anyone has tried to put in place, I have completely ignored and have never run into any trouble for it. My nexus characters, usually based in DnD, are statted out to epic levels, but they are able to be beaten. The trick is to work with those you're RPing with, and scale your character to the situation. In a fist fight with a level one commoner? Maybe don't become One Punch Man in that scene. It's overpowered and uninteresting and most of all it's not FUN. That's the key to it, ask yourself, is everyone having fun?


So... yeah... make and use stats if you want, but I'll probably be ignoring them. I don't like crunchy bits in my FFRP. I'll write them down and will forget about them entirely. I feel like it'll end up with someone going "Well, I have a 13 and you only have 12, so I should win." Campiun?

[Chord]

Just for the record, I'm interested in this thread


What exactly is Average for a dragon, anyway?



That depends, how they are sopossed to fit, if this is to be placed in the high fantasy setting where dragons are sleeping the whole time, till the very unfortunate day where the poor lizard wakes up to a party trying to slay him or steal his well earned hoard, then the dragon is expected to be stronger than the individuals in that party. The party will just take him down with the power of friendship in some turns. Yeah.

Also dragons are usually portrayed as being virtually immortal, (except when they happen to be the final boss of a dungeon) this mean that they are just really oblivious and are fine being lazy greedy slobs for most part of their boringly long lives, or there is something else to it, like weird maygicks that keep them from wreaking havoc everywhere.

In contrast I envision them as the perfect aristocratic class in an advanced society, think about it, they are big, they are strong, they are intelligent, and have a long lifespan, if they didn't act as detached as they do in most media, each of them could be ruling his own mega corporation. Acting for the best interest of an entire civilization or creating a state of total slavery. At least they sometimes have kobold minions, kobolds are neat I guess.

Maybe the solution about the abilities issue is to add magical disciplines as something dragons can become good at? If each dragon has dominion over some crafts instead of just "elemental breath" then for example a dragon could have psyonic powers and be an alchemist or such. Or that in adition to the elemental breath thing, I don't know.

[Rater202]

First off. My views on a letter system. They never work. They never did in a previous RP where we used them, and they never worked in any of the free form I joined that used them subsequently. People either stick to them too rigidly, or just flat-out ignored it. Here, I'm trying to experiment, see if we can get a useful system. If your concern is that people will get upset, then they'll do so regardless a numerical or letter system is used. As what is average for a dragon, now that's a stickler, isn't it? I have no real baseline for a dragon's power here, them being fantasy creatures and all, so you got me there. Okay, how about instead of using stats or a letter system, we just say exactly what our characters are capable of in the abilities section?

I kind of also suggested that.


Did I miss out anything?
What about my alternate sheat?

As a veteran FFRPer, let me put my 2cp in here. Every stats system anyone has tried to put in place, I have completely ignored and have never run into any trouble for it. My nexus characters, usually based in DnD, are statted out to epic levels, but they are able to be beaten. The trick is to work with those you're RPing with, and scale your character to the situation. In a fist fight with a level one commoner? Maybe don't become One Punch Man in that scene. It's overpowered and uninteresting and most of all it's not FUN. That's the key to it, ask yourself, is everyone having fun? Problem-you have to define what your character is capable of, otherwise you can have no growth of abillity and it becomes much, much harder to come to an agreement over who wins if their's a conflict between two characters.

Which is why I suggested "instead of hard numbers, either use a generalized system or just have us explain what they can do in words instead of arbitrary systems."

@Chord, um, we've already decided on doing that.

[Artemis97]

Not exactly... there's be growth and definition, it would just be done through RP. And if you can't decide on who wins a fight, you need to talk it out, and if you still can't decide, maybe you shouldn't be having that fight. FFRP is, at its core, a cooperative medium.

[Rater202]

Not exactly... there's be growth and definition, it would just be done through RP. And if you can't decide on who wins a fight, you need to talk it out, and if you still can't decide, maybe you shouldn't be having that fight. FFRP is, at its core, a cooperative medium.

No.

If you're making a character at all, you have to define what they can and cant do at the start. You can't just make up an entire character as you go along, you've got to have a starting point.

[Chord]

Problem-you have to define what your character is capable of, otherwise you can have no growth of abillity and it becomes much, much harder to come to an agreement over who wins if their's a conflict between two characters.

Which is why I suggested "instead of hard numbers, either use a generalized system or just have us explain what they can do in words instead of arbitrary systems."



Following a certain narrative, it reduces to common sense what the most likely outcome of a conflict will be. If you are in a battle of equals then it can be either decided by luck or simply dismissed as a draw.

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No.

If you're making a character at all, you have to define what they can and cant do at the start. You can't just make up an entire character as you go along, you've got to have a starting point.

That's just impractical. Everyone has a good idea of what a character can do just giving a general description of what he does, no need to point it out that a dragon with wings is able to fly unless it goes as "he is fastest than most dragon", or "faster than sound".

[Grif]

As a veteran FFRPer, let me put my 2cp in here. Every stats system anyone has tried to put in place, I have completely ignored and have never run into any trouble for it. My nexus characters, usually based in DnD, are statted out to epic levels, but they are able to be beaten. The trick is to work with those you're RPing with, and scale your character to the situation. In a fist fight with a level one commoner? Maybe don't become One Punch Man in that scene. It's overpowered and uninteresting and most of all it's not FUN. That's the key to it, ask yourself, is everyone having fun?


So... yeah... make and use stats if you want, but I'll probably be ignoring them. I don't like crunchy bits in my FFRP. I'll write them down and will forget about them entirely. I feel like it'll end up with someone going "Well, I have a 13 and you only have 12, so I should win." Campiun?

I understand your point completely. :smalltongue: However, if I may offer a counterpoint, I myself understand the need for something a little more tangible, hence the stats. My overriding priority here is to make sure we're all on the same page: stats are just a guideline, and never ever to be used to determine the outcome of something from the outset. So when you say you have Str 13 and I have Str 12, it means you're stronger than me slightly. Sure. But maybe I win anyway due to the actions my character takes. Which is my intention from the start.


Okay, how about instead of using stats or a letter system, we just say exactly what our characters are capable of in the abilities section?

I kind of also suggested that.


What about my alternate sheat?
Problem-you have to define what your character is capable of, otherwise you can have no growth of abillity and it becomes much, much harder to come to an agreement over who wins if their's a conflict between two characters.

Which is why I suggested "instead of hard numbers, either use a generalized system or just have us explain what they can do in words instead of arbitrary systems."

@Chord, um, we've already decided on doing that.

Your sheet seems fine, I should note. Would have no qualms if people want to use that instead. :smallsmile: However, I still offer my own sheet (the description part at least) for those who prefer to fill in exact details as to how their dragon should look like.


Just for the record, I'm interested in this thread

That depends, how they are sopossed to fit, if this is to be placed in the high fantasy setting where dragons are sleeping the whole time, till the very unfortunate day where the poor lizard wakes up to a party trying to slay him or steal his well earned hoard, then the dragon is expected to be stronger than the individuals in that party. The party will just take him down with the power of friendship in some turns. Yeah.

Also dragons are usually portrayed as being virtually immortal, (except when they happen to be the final boss of a dungeon) this mean that they are just really oblivious and are fine being lazy greedy slobs for most part of their boringly long lives, or there is something else to it, like weird maygicks that keep them from wreaking havoc everywhere.

In contrast I envision them as the perfect aristocratic class in an advanced society, think about it, they are big, they are strong, they are intelligent, and have a long lifespan, if they didn't act as detached as they do in most media, each of them could be ruling his own mega corporation. Acting for the best interest of an entire civilization or creating a state of total slavery. At least they sometimes have kobold minions, kobolds are neat I guess.

Maybe the solution about the abilities issue is to add magical disciplines as something dragons can become good at? If each dragon has dominion over some crafts instead of just "elemental breath" then for example a dragon could have psyonic powers and be an alchemist or such. Or that in adition to the elemental breath thing, I don't know.

I agree that dragons should be allowed to have a wide-range of abilities. To limit it to only breath attacks would just miss the point of these being FFRP entirely. :smalltongue:

Allow me to give you the rough outline of the world I'm planning:
- This will take place on a continent called Latium
- There will three major powers on this continent: the Commonwealth, a coalition of various humanoid races but dominated by humans; the Conclave, which represents the old natural Order, and comprises mainly of elves of various sort, and the fey; and the Consortium, which is based described as capitalistic, meritocratic and amoral, and dominated by dwarves.
- Accordingly, the Commonwealth specialises in tech (think steampunk and Renaissance-era gunnery), Conclave in magic, and Consortium a mixture of both.
- Dragons are a common sight here, and are as varied as the humanoid species. Some worship their own gods, some think they're gods and some as just downright incompetent. Accordingly, it is not uncommon to find dragons rise to positions in power, though they'd obviously be frowned upon by their humanoid superiors.


Following a certain narrative, it reduces to common sense what the most likely outcome of a conflict will be. If you are in a battle of equals then it can be either decided by luck or simply dismissed as a draw.

I feel it's best for both players to agree before hand what the outcome of the conflict should be, or at the very least be willing to roll with the punches.


FFRP is, at its core, a cooperative medium.

I agree completely. There's nothing to "win" here. :smallsmile:

[Rater202]

If I may clarify: Lets say my character is interacting with yours,

If you character pulls out an ability that is not in your sheet, and not something discussed ahead of time, my initial assumption is that you've made something up.

If at least general idea of what your character is and is not capable of is present in your sheet, then this isn't a problem, I can just check it, but if, for example, we're playing super a super hero game, it does not say "super strength"in the powers portion of your sheet, and there hanst been any build up to it, I'm going to assume you made it up.

So, igf you character can lift 10 tons, put it in your sheet. If your scales are as hard as diamond, say "scales as hard as diamond" in the sheet. If you can work magic, say what kind of magic and how good at it you are. If you're a five star Gourmet chef, say in your sheet that you are a five star gourmet chef. If you're a hydra and your heads grow back when they're cutt off, put it in your sheet(and include what, exactly, having multiple heads does in your case too)

and if things over the course of the game change what your character can and can't do, edit your sheet and record the changes.

You dont need to put some arbitrary number rating on it or a letter grade, but if you picture your dragon lifting 10 tons, say they can lift 10 tons.

Does that make it easier to understand my point?

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That's just impractical. Everyone has a good idea of what a character can do just giving a general description of what he does, no need to point it out that a dragon with wings is able to fly unless it goes as "he is fastest than most dragon", or "faster than sound".

I plan to play a dragon with wings that cannot fly.

Eastern dragons can flight without having wings.

seems to me like "able to fly" is something that goes on the sheet, regardless of presence of wings.

[Lord Raziere]

well until a solid sheet is worked out, I'm just gonna be posting my general concept:

basically, his name is Zarakkan, and he is a mad scientist. He is a blue dragon, with red eyes and he breathes steam. Both inhale and exhale, which means he can inhale steam attacks as if they were air as a defense. this is because he is a mix of water and fire element dragons, thus he breathes steam which is really hot water vapor. like incredibly hot, dangerously so. He uses his steam element to power his magitech, you see. He is a lithe, agile dragon, more of a speed and dodge guy than strength and toughness guy.

He likes to hoard various things from books to parts for technology, bit of a trickster and a liar type who enjoys freedom and individuality and at times has a bit of a Doctor Who vibe of eccentricity to him, which is more or less evident depending on how old he is allowed to be because of things he might remember from hundreds of years ago. He has incredibly high smarts, but is probably not all that strong for a dragon and while he has a certain rascal/dorky charm, he is lacking in common sense.

His background was that well he grew up under a bookish smart mother who was a blue dragon and a fiery short-tempered red dragon father. His father proved to be abusive and bullying to them both and he came to love his mother more for her calm caring nature. But then his father slew his mother after saying she was coddling him too much, then he in turn killed his father in revenge. Feeling sorrow at what had occurred, he left his parents lair behind and set out to make his own way in the world through steam-powered magitech.

As for his magitech itself....he has at the very least something to turn himself invisible. not sure what else he has, but I'll try to limit myself depending on how much tech you think he should have, and what makes sense for a dragon to invent.

[Artemis97]

Rater, you've called it basically. Yes you need a starting point for a character. Yes you need to have character growth (well, if you want to do interesting things anyways). However, here in FFRP, no one is obligated to spell out everything about their character. You CAN make it up as you go along. Heck, that's half the fun. Maybe my character has a gizmo in his pocket that I just thought up, are you going to call shenanigans on me for using it? In the loose format of FFRP, I find the idea that you would a bit ridiculous. This isn't a pen and paper game where every copper piece and every torch needs to be accounted for. You are allowed to just make stuff up on the fly. It's fun!

[Rater202]

Maybe my character has a gizmo in his pocket that I just thought up, are you going to call shenanigans on me for using it?
Maybe. It depends, is your character an inventor who might have such a device? What doe the device do? Is it a one time thing, or is it something you're doing all the time?

Is "occasionally pulls out a new gadget" written on your sheet?

If you just make stuff up as you go along, without any forewarning, and no talk, and you just ignore whats on your sheet, then it's not fair to people who actually take the time and effort to define what their characters can and can't do and try to stick with it and only go beyond it when it is appropriate to do so.

So, if you can lift ten tons, write "can lift ten tons" in your sheet. If you have X many gadgets in your pocket, you right "I have X many gadgets in my pocket."

Unless you define what your character can and can't do, his or her strengths and weakness, and you stick to them, then I can't interact with your character in any meaningful way-If it's my turn to tell a story, I can't make any challenges for them because if you're just going to ignore whats on your sheet and maybe make something up, I can't predict how your character will react in the situation in question.

Do you understand my problem with ignoring the sheets and making stuff up.

[Artemis97]

Honestly, no. I don't understand the problem with my decision not to write down every detail about my character before hand. I've been playing this way in FFRP for nearly a decade and have never run into a problem.

[Rater202]

If you completely ignore your sheet, and you just make stuff up as you go along, then it's not fair to players like me who actually care to take the time to define our character's strengths and limits and try to stick to them.

If you can just make stuff up, then it becomes really frustrating for me when there's something I really want my character to be able to do but I haven't had a chance for them to actually develop that ability.

It's about having a fair, clean game with no shenanigans.

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Okay, is there anyone who knows what I'm trying to say and can explain it better than I can?

[Grif]

Maybe. It depends, is your character an inventor who might have such a device? What doe the device do? Is it a one time thing, or is it something you're doing all the time?

Is "occasionally pulls out a new gadget" written on your sheet?

If you just make stuff up as you go along, without any forewarning, and no talk, and you just ignore whats on your sheet, then it's not fair to people who actually take the time and effort to define what their characters can and can't do and try to stick with it and only go beyond it when it is appropriate to do so.

So, if you can lift ten tons, write "can lift ten tons" in your sheet. If you have X many gadgets in your pocket, you right "I have X many gadgets in my pocket."

Unless you define what your character can and can't do, his or her strengths and weakness, and you stick to them, then I can't interact with your character in any meaningful way-If it's my turn to tell a story, I can't make any challenges for them because if you're just going to ignore whats on your sheet and maybe make something up, I can't predict how your character will react in the situation in question.

Do you understand my problem with ignoring the sheets and making stuff up.


Honestly, no. I don't understand the problem with my decision not to write down every detail about my character before hand. I've been playing this way in FFRP for nearly a decade and have never run into a problem.

If I may interject, I think there wouldn't be a problem if a player decides not to specify everything for a character, especially in a FFRP. That comes with the caveat that if you want do want to go this route, anything that you add to the character should be plausible both from a character point of view, and from the setting. Conversely, a normal human character shouldn't suddenly be a God of Time, obviously. I trust Artermis97 that she would exercise her right to do so wisely, given her experience.

Take for example, the inventor dragon character Raziere had posted. It wouldn't be implausible that said dragon would have some sort of weaponry on his claws at all times, even if Raziere may not have specified it at the time. Ideally, everything should have been worked out beforehand, of course, but there's something to be said in allowing players leeway to make up things as they go along as well.

[DJ Yung Crunk]

When you guys come to an agreement, let me know.

[Lord Raziere]

If I may interject, I think there wouldn't be a problem if a player decides not to specify everything for a character, especially in a FFRP. That comes with the caveat that if you want do want to go this route, anything that you add to the character should be plausible both from a character point of view, and from the setting. Conversely, a normal human character shouldn't suddenly be a God of Time, obviously. I trust Artermis97 that she would exercise her right to do so wisely, given her experience.

Take for example, the inventor dragon character Raziere had posted. It wouldn't be implausible that said dragon would have some sort of weaponry on his claws at all times, even if Raziere may not have specified it at the time. Ideally, everything should have been worked out beforehand, of course, but there's something to be said in allowing players leeway to make up things as they go along as well.

Well the compromise I would do is divide abilities into iconic gadgets and interchangeable gadgets.

think Batman: an iconic gadget of him? Batarang. Bat grappling hook. Batmobile. these are things you see in nearly every Batman incarnation without fail.

but he has a utility belt where he can pull out things to do specific things for the story, but are generally not seen all that much or used again.

so if I were doing a way to incorporate both preparation and making things up, I'd have the iconic things be the gadgets that always come back as an integral part of the character, while interchangeable stuff are stuff that either one use or easily destroyed.

iconic abilities are make sense, as for interchangeable abilities, you can justify those as limited applications of powers for a certain situation that don't really apply anywhere else that are only relevant there and if another situation comes up where it makes sense for it come up again, its reasonable to allow it.

this would allow empty slots for people to make things up on the fly, while Rater would have a flexible space to prepare new things at the beginning or whatever, and when a new story starts, the slots are cleared to make things up or prepare again. just an idea.

[Destro_Yersul]

If you completely ignore your sheet, and you just make stuff up as you go along, then it's not fair to players like me who actually care to take the time to define our character's strengths and limits and try to stick to them.

If you can just make stuff up, then it becomes really frustrating for me when there's something I really want my character to be able to do but I haven't had a chance for them to actually develop that ability.

It's about having a fair, clean game with no shenanigans.

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Okay, is there anyone who knows what I'm trying to say and can explain it better than I can?

Emphasis mine. If this is what you're looking for, FFRP is not really the best place to look. Admittedly, I've been out of FFRP for a long time, but shenanigans and just making stuff up is a staple of the experience. Back in Ye Olden Days, if you wanted your character to do something? Poof. They can do it now. I think we did have sheets, but half the time they were out of date and nobody really looked at them anyways. It's better in this style to define things in broad strokes, so that there's room to add stuff. It's considered bad form to add stuff that wouldn't be logical in-character. If I have a wizard, who has never before displayed skill with a sword, it wouldn't make a lot of sense for him to suddenly also be a master swordsman. I could do it, but it wouldn't make sense. On the other hand, if he knows a new spell he made up and hadn't used until then? Well, sure, that makes sense.

That said, I think I understand where you're coming from. I also think there's a middleground that needs to be hit between having everything established beforehand, and making up whatever you want on the fly without any care for sheets and limits. This isn't a typical tabletop RPG, where characters have blocks of stats and things they absolutely can and cannot do. This also isn't a one-upmanship contest, though it's certainly been treated that way on occassion. FFRP works best as collaborative storytelling. It's got a lote of similar ideas to FATE, if you're familiar with that? You can just make stuff up. And that's ok. But you should only be doing it if it makes the story better.

[cavalieredraghi]

So an argument and it is only the second page in? That's inviting.

[Destro_Yersul]

If I spend a great deal of time and effort defining what my character can and cannot do, and then somebody else jots down three lines, ignores them, and just makes things up as they go along, I have wasted my effort.

True. You have wasted your effort in that situation.


If you can just say "poof, my character can do this" then there is no conflict because you can just solve the problem immediately.

Sort of. If you can solve the problem immediately there's also no story, and that's not fun. So why would you want to make up an ability that lets you solve things immediately? There's nothing stopping you from doing it, it just strikes me as a strange choice. People have run Instant Problem Solver characters in the past, and those rapidly became uninteresting, and then nobody wanted to play with those characters, which led to different, more interesting characters having longer lifespans.


If I spend a great deal of effort to have my character go off and train in some special technique that'll help solve the problem, nd then I come back half a thread later and somebody else can do the same technique with no training because their player felt like it, my character has been overshadowed.

Half a thread earlier you could have had your character able to do the special technique because you felt like it. Your character is capable of whatever you say they're capable of. If that makes them uninteresting because they're capable of anything, then they stop getting played and, as above, the problem solves itself. If you really, really want to show the training effort, you can do it in a flashback.


If you're just making stuff up, you can't lose.

Unless you make up that you lose. Why would you do that? Because winning all the time is boring, and this isn't a one-upmanship contest. Nobody cares that a super-powerful ubercharacter can win all the time. It's about collaborative storytelling. If it's more interesting for your character to lose, then they should lose. If there's no game when your character wins, then they should lose.

If you don't want your character to lose, then it's true that they can't and won't ever lose. Which is boring. So the problem solves itself.


If you're ignoring what is and is not on the character sheets, then we have no idea who should win if two cahracters come into conflicts-and that leads to arguments.

It will always lead to arguments, character sheets or not. Look at it another way; if you focus entirely on what is and is not on the character sheets, then character A will always beat character B, because A's sheet says they're better at stuff. Do you want B to feel like they have no way to win? Do you want A to feel like they'll ALWAYS win? Especially when the question of who SHOULD win has nothing to do with the abilities of either character in a collaborative medium.

Let's say A is Batman, and B is the Joker. Joker shouldn't lose right away, because that's boring. He should have some interesting plans that he gets to play around with. He should win some victories. But he can't succeed at his ultimate plan of destroying the city, because then there's no city and that's boring too. So Batman has to win at the end, when it's most dramatically appropriate for Batman to win.

[Grif]

So an argument and it is only the second page in? That's inviting.

Less an argument and more a debate on how to proceed, at the moment. :smalltongue:

I should reiterate though, this is supposed to be a collaborative storytelling, and less a game where you can "win". You're not supposed to win anything. Irrespective on whether or not we use a rigid stat system or a laissez-faire approach to character sheets, good story should always be the goal.

[cavalieredraghi]

Then when do you expect to start a IC?

[Grif]

Then when do you expect to start a IC?

As soon as we work these kinks out, have people post characters, and myself actually putting a world which everyone can agree on. :smallsmile: A few have already shown me their characters in PM, so we're actually progressing along nicely.

[cavalieredraghi]

As soon as we work these kinks out, have people post characters, and myself actually putting a world which everyone can agree on. :smallsmile: A few have already shown me their characters in PM, so we're actually progressing along nicely.

Well then what worlds have been submitted? I don't know if I like the original.

[Grif]

Well then what worlds have been submitted? I don't know if I like the original.

Only mine own, currently. Unless someone has an alternative world lying around, we'll probably go with that. Bear in mind, the one I linked currently is designed so we can accommodate the widest range of characters and backstories as realistically as possible.

[Lord Raziere]

I'm fine with the current setting myself. Sure there are only three factions, but I can see a lot of ways that there can be factions within factions because of how they are set up. I can easily imagine these three great powers being conglomerates of smaller factions that united over time, but still have their own little groups within groups that keeps them from being uniform.

I can also see a cold war scenario going here, with the three powers not really wanting to commit to attacking one for fear of the other attacking them- a classic game theory problem. with various little nations around them being caught between them, and not really sure how to get out, often with little wars happening within them.

a good setting one might say for something like a dragon to be something that could be a major piece in turning the tide in a war or politically or even economically if you creative enough. and of course there would be a mix of heroes, villains and all sorts in between in all three great powers all with their own motivations and goals and how an intricate web of connections, plots, motivations might unfold.

[cavalieredraghi]

Only mine own, currently. Unless someone has an alternative world lying around, we'll probably go with that. Bear in mind, the one I linked currently is designed so we can accommodate the widest range of characters and backstories as realistically as possible.

Your setting is not bad, I can agree to that. I am wondering what dragon I should do. I am almost feeling my Drixtel would be a good choice. Though on a side note, Rater I would suggest not doing another Oxy being, but in dragon form. Really doing a Primeval Zerg like dragon would be OP far to quickly, and is something you are already doing in DBitp.

[Grif]

I'm fine with the current setting myself. Sure there are only three factions, but I can see a lot of ways that there can be factions within factions because of how they are set up. I can easily imagine these three great powers being conglomerates of smaller factions that united over time, but still have their own little groups within groups that keeps them from being uniform.

I can also see a cold war scenario going here, with the three powers not really wanting to commit to attacking one for fear of the other attacking them- a classic game theory problem. with various little nations around them being caught between them, and not really sure how to get out, often with little wars happening within them.

a good setting one might say for something like a dragon to be something that could be a major piece in turning the tide in a war or politically or even economically if you creative enough. and of course there would be a mix of heroes, villains and all sorts in between in all three great powers all with their own motivations and goals and how an intricate web of connections, plots, motivations might unfold.

As it stands, yes, cold war or just uneasy peace would describe the political situation perfectly. I also left space for plenty of little petty kingdoms/nations/etc for co-exist at the borders and in or around the three great powers. Even named a few to start us off, and y'all are welcome to add more. :smallsmile: (I believe igordragonian wants a small dwarf kingdom to himself, and another player has expressed similar intentions.)

Now I just need to actually draw a map that isn't an eye-sore and we can be set, I think.

EDIT: I should also note that kobolds are a thing in this setting, and it's not uncommon to see dragons with their own little kobold gang. :smallsmile: (All fantastically loyal and all that.)

[igordragonian]

So.. hmm.. where a dragon protector of dwarven kingdom can fit?
May I make up a little kingdom under Wealth influence?

[Grif]

So.. hmm.. where a dragon protector of dwarven kingdom can fit?
May I make up a little kingdom under Wealth influence?

Go right on ahead. You may need to be flexible in location, however. :smallsmile:

[DJ Yung Crunk]

Were we meant to PM character ideas!?

Teacher, I didn't do my homework! I'm still trying to figure out the setting.

[Grif]

Were we meant to PM character ideas!?

Teacher, I didn't do my homework! I'm still trying to figure out the setting.

Not at all. It's just some wanted to get started early, and so wanted to get a feel what might be acceptable and what might not be. Really, no pressure, since we don't even have a IC thread up yet.

[Rater202]

Okay. I'm going to try and explain, one last time, if you still don't get it, I'm just going to leave-I don't want to, I want to play this character in this game, but if we can't come to an understanding then I will not find it enjoyable.

I plan to play a character called "Gormek the Gourmet." gormek is an "eater dragon" which i desribed earlier-They're smaller than most true dragons, have no natrual breath weapons, and no abillity to work spells. however, they can absorb some of the propeties of what they eat, with limits, and develop new abillities that way. This is an abillity I find interesting, and an abillityI've put thought into to keep it from being overpowered and overshadowing other characters.

This ability means that If I want to have Gormek develop a new ability, he has to eat something that gives him the ability. for certain magical abillties, this would necessitate him actually hunting down a magical creature-This would be equivalent to a training arc. This is not a bug, it is a feature, an arc where Gormek travels to a distant part of the continent to convince a phoenix to part with one of it's unfertilized eggs could be an interesting story, especially if the path between point A and point B is fraught with peril that will require him to travel with other, stronger dragons for safety.

So when people just skip a training arc and just instantly magically have a new power, it irks me greatly because I'm spending time and effort to make sure my character gains abilities it a realistic pace and in a way that result from or initiates interesting stories.

Being told to skip the training arc or show it in a flashback later does not solve the problem. It in fact raises more problems, becuase it means that either Gormek gains a new abillity with no explanation, or I have to cram a training arc into a flashback when there has not, in fact, been enough time for a training arc.

So, either I inore my characters abillity and have them get new stuff randomly.. or I get penalized for playing my character the way he was meant to be played and trying to tell the stories I want to tell.

Neither option appeal to me.

Not only that, but Gormek has a quirk-he believes that by cooking what he eats to perfection and pairing the food with ingredients that complement it, he will maximize the power he absorbs from the food-if I'm expected to skip over his "training arcs" then I never get to show off his quirk.

Another thing, if you do not pay attention to the stats on the character sheet, then I have no guarantee that anything about my character will matter-If we need to get the leader off one of the three kingdoms on our side, and I try to butter him up by arranging a gourmet feast-it says that Gormek is a gourmet chef of masterful skill in my sheet, because that's one of his things, but whoever is in charge of the humanoid kingdom could spit the food out, call it trash, and then we have to fight because he and four other players decided that'd be more fun and I got outvoted. this is much less likely to happen if people are paying attention to their own and each other's abilities.

Also, this is a game about telling stories-eventually it will get to be my turn to tell stories-If we ignore training arcs, then that;''s already one kind of story I can't tell. If you are all just allowed to make up abilities on the fly instead of defining them ahead of time and only adding to them after training arcs or other, in story justifications for new abilities, then I have no clue how to write stories for other characters.

Not to mention, if we completely ignore things like character sheets and pre-established abilities, then there is no way to fairly determine who wins if two PCs come into conflict and then you're just yelling at each other. You need to pay attention to that stuff to have any chance of coming to a decision.

So, that's why we need to put actual effort into our character sheets, That's why we need to write down our exact starting abilities,, and that's why we have to justify all changes in story before they are applied.

And also discussing new abilities in the OOC before anything IC happens, but that's obvious.

Is it really that hard to actually put effort into desgining your character's starting abilities and keeping your sheet up to date? Is it really that hard to justify your abilities in game before you have them? It's as easy as "hey, my character is an inventor, can he have "X" in his pocket" or "hey, i thought it'd be cool if my character cold do this with his breath, can we take a break after this story so he can practice it?"

[PurityIcekiller]

I have a character sheet ready. I decided to use a sheet similar to Grif's, but with the physical fields mostly rolled into the description.

Description
Name: Kiadre
Type: Water dragon

Description: Kiadre is sized somewhere between a Clydesdale and an Asian elephant. Her scales are dark blue and very smooth, with a lighter blue on her underside. Her eyes are a deep green. She has a webbed crest on the back of her neck and other bits of webbing on her ears and limbs. She has no horns, and her claws are short and retractable. Her tail is strong and resembles an ichthyosaur's. Her wings are short and work better in water than air; although she can fly, she is very clumsy at it. She tends to be slow and awkward on land, but can swim exceptionally well.

Personality: Kiadre's attitude is professional and dignified. She does her best to be polite, even to rude people, but can sometimes give rather sharp reprimands. Being raised by humanoids, she feels most comfortable around them, and tends to be wary of other dragons. In some ways, she sees herself as being one of the demihumans, or at least their equal, and expects to be treated as such. Her interests include exploring, studying, and collecting things.

Relationships: Once lived with the elvish sorceress Merala, but left to find her own way and has not made contact since.

History: A long time ago, on the western coast of Latium, the elvish sorceress Merala discovered an abandoned nest of water dragon eggs. Suspecting that the hatchlings probably wouldn't survive on their own, and wanting the opportunity to study the creatures further, she took a few eggs to raise herself. Most of them didn't make it, but one did hatch. Merala decided to name her new charge Kiadre and train her to be her familiar.

Little did Merala know that the little dragon was learning more than intended. After some time, Kiadre figured out how to read and speak the language of the Conclave, and from there started emulating the elves in other ways. She went from pet to apprentice, and it was clear she had no intention of stopping there; she mentioned that she eventually planned on becoming as respected as Merala was, whether by elvish society or elsewhere.

Once she had grown, Kiadre decided that she wasn't going to live in the sorceress's shadow any longer. She left her home and went her lone and solitary way. Since then, she has travelled along the coast, finding new experiences and meeting new people. She has yet to settle down anywhere; wanderlust just keeps driving her on.

Stats
Strength: Moderate
Dexterity: Poor
Constitution: Moderate
Intelligence: High
Wisdom: High
Charisma: High

Abilities
Water Breathing: Kiadre is capable of breathing water as well as air.
Water Jet: Breath weapon equivalent. After Kiadre inhales water, she can shoot it out in a powerful jet to stun prey or deter attackers. Nonlethal, but can exert a strong force.
Air Blast: Breath weapon equivalent. After Kiadre inhales air, she can shoot it out in a forceful gust. Similar to the water jet, but less powerful.
Arcane Lore: Although she doesn't cast spells, Kiadre's time as a sorceress's assistant left her with a good understanding of magic. She can notice magical fields or effects more easily, and identify them if they're not too subtle.
Tail Smack: Kiadre's preferred way of fighting on land is to give enemies a good clout with her tail. It feels like getting slapped with a fish, but more so.


Laconic version: A curious sea-dragon who tries to fit into humanoid society.

[cavalieredraghi]

snipped

I know where you are coming from Rater and I agree with you, but maybe you need to do what you have told me alot of times, and take a step make take a breather and then come back in?

[Artemis97]

Rater, I feel I need to apologize. What started as a philosophical disagreement has become... I don't know, but much more than I ever intended. I certainly do not want you to back away from a game you might enjoy. In fact, you seem like you would be a very thoughtful RPer and your character concept is quite interesting.

When I was talking about coming up with stuff on the fly, I wasn't meaning to just make up something to 'win' or that wouldn't make sense. It's just that I don't write everything down, and feel that needing to would stifle my creativity. If it's all set in stone, there's no wiggle room. I do plan to make a sheet and fill it out as best I can, but it would take a lot of effort for me to maintain it every time my character gained a new item or ability. That's just how I, personally, play the game. You don't have to play that way.

In FFRP I am under no obligations to define anything outside of RP. Conversely, you are not obligated to play fast and loose, and are free to write down everything you want. Others can play somewhere in the middle. It all works.

I think you and I are just going to have to agree to disagree and let that be the end of it. The last thing I want to do is push you away from playing in this game. Please don't leave on my account.

[cavalieredraghi]

NameDrixtel
GenderMale
BodyGeneral Western style, large torso, quadruped, long tail extended neck.
HornsTwo curved horns that curve back toward the body, scaly whiskers extend from his face
claws Large strong claws, sharp enough to tear through steel easily.
Scale Color Golden hues
Size Huge, but not overly monsterous
Length 25ft from nose to tip of tail
wings Wings extend from mid torso, and extend all the way down to the tail like a long body like fins.
tail bordered by wings, inbetween is a spine that started from the base of the head.
Accesories

Description Drixtel s designed after a traditional Adult Gold dragon of D&D. He has yet to reach full age, and still have power to gain.

Personality Altruism to the extreme, always viewing his action as needing to be an example. He hope to start a city state around the area he would make his future lair. allowing this city state to be an example of virtue and justice.

stats
strength 19
agility10
Intelligent 18
Wisdom 18
Toughness 20
Charisma 28

Reputation
Goodness/evil 10
Compassion/cruelty10
Intimidation 7
Fame 3
Trustworthiness 10

Attacks
Claws
Tail
Wings
Fire Breath
Weakness Breath- drains the strengths of his opponent.
Polymorph- can change self, usually into a human noble.
amphibious- can breath and swim in water just as freely as air
Magic abilities
Fore sight- can see glimpses into the future.
magical fortification- can improve allies abilities with magical enchantments, giving them an edge nothing more.
detect food supply- can detect the location of nearby gemstones.

[Grif]

I made a document. (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JsaGE24UYrfIIpcuCCWS4WG0A41YFPcWl2MAYXshf5g/edit#heading=h.x38hy0dp2qv3) :smallsmile:

EDIT: cav, I forgot, I'll be dropping the reputation thing for now. It seems like a lot of busywork for no gain.

[Rater202]

Um, to the people posting character sheets, we still aren't settled on the stats-I'm still against stat numbers in free form instead of just saying how much your character can lift or how fast they can fly.

Even if we go with numbers, we still haven't determined what the numbers actually mean-10 is average, but what is average for a dragon?

@Artemis, apology accepted.

- - - Updated - - -

I mean no offence but I fail to see the point of the document.

[Grif]

I mean no offence but I fail to see the point of the document.

I like to use them as a central repository to store character sheets, rather than using a new thread. :smallsmile:

[PurityIcekiller]

Whoa, Cav. Your dragon is better than mine in pretty much every way.

[cavalieredraghi]

Um, to the people posting character sheets, we still aren't settled on the stats-I'm still against stat numbers in free form instead of just saying how much your character can lift or how fast they can fly.

Even if we go with numbers, we still haven't determined what the numbers actually mean-10 is average, but what is average for a dragon?


Which is why we should discuss. We could do something similar to D&D and have 1 be a common human, and thus 10 being a common dragon, then up from there proves to be an increase in magnitude. however without discussion we won't come to an answer or resolve thought.

Better? He is just meant to be an adult Gold from D&D nothing else, he is not even a wyrm or great wyrm.

[Rater202]

...Most games I'm in use the OOC threads with links in the OPs or have usmake our own docs and link them.

Who exactly has the rights to edit the doc?

[Grif]

...Most games I'm in use the OOC threads with links in the OPs or have usmake our own docs and link them.

Who exactly has the rights to edit the doc?

Everyone. :smallsmile: So feel free to add your own characters. And don't worry about vandalism. GDoc is pretty good at keeping backups and it's easy to revert changes.

[cavalieredraghi]

Anyone who can view can edit, did you miss my post?

[Rater202]

And I get ninja'd by an example of why we should just say what we can do instead of using arbitrary numbers.

And then ninja'd again.

And anyway, I'm not sure I'm comfortable with a central document that anyone can edit-Vandalism might be eay to revert... If yu spot it fast enough. If you don't notice that one of your profiles has been vandalized until after dozens of edits have been made, you can't exactly revert the doc to a prevandalized state without screwing over all the other players.

[cavalieredraghi]

Then what can we use instead of Numbers?

[Grif]

And I get ninja'd by an example of why we should just say what we can do instead of using arbitrary numbers.

And then ninja'd again.


Then what can we use instead of Numbers?

I believe Rater mention just a vague description of what they can do. You can scroll up and read his examples a few pages back. Problem is, these sort of description get very unwieldy real quick, and does not easily convey information at a glance, as numbers would.

[cavalieredraghi]

And we have used Numbers before with such FF as DBitp.

[Rater202]

Then what can we use instead of Numbers?

Instead of saying Strength-*number* Say how strong you are. Can you lift ten tons? Then say lift ten tons? If you're very intelligent and well educated, don't say int 20-30, say "My character is well educated in X, Y, and Z subjects and very intelligent by human standards."

Don't put numbers on it, just say what you can do.

Cav, DBitp is a game in a setting where calculated numbers representing a character's raw power are an actual thing in the setting and we have examples of what they mean.

We don't have in universe Power Levels here.

[Grif]

And we have used Numbers before with such FF as DBitp.

Quite so. But I think Rater's point on normal is very relevant now. We need to establish a baseline of what a dragon can or cannot do before we use any sort of numerical system. I'll think more about this while at work, but in the meantime, feel free to suggest stuff.

[cavalieredraghi]

Instead of saying Strength-*number* Say how strong you are. Can you lift ten tons? Then say lift ten tons? If you're very intelligent and well educated, don't say int 20-30, say "My character is well educated in X, Y, and Z subjects and very intelligent by human standards."

Don't put numbers on it, just say what you can do.

Cav, DBitp is a game in a setting where calculated numbers representing a character's raw power are an actual thing in the setting and we have examples of what they mean.

We don't have in universe Power Levels here.

But we can make In Universe PLs here, which would be easier, and less restricting then just outwardly stating everything. We shouldn't know everything about our characters, we should learn as we play.

I have suggested, that maybe 1 is the eqvualent of a common human ability, which then helps judge what a 10 maybe for a dragon if that is common for a dragon.

[Lord Raziere]

Ok, lets just get this sheet done then:

Description
Name: Zarakkan
Gender: Fluid, but probably male
Body: standard but slim
Head: Smooth
Horns:long horns
Claws: sharp like razors
Scale Color: blue
Size: His size is about one of a particularly large car, but he is lean
Body length: probably on the long side
Wings: Yes he can fly with leathery wgins
Tail: Long, and while it doesn't naturally have a spike, he has a tail-spike tech attchment
Breath: He breathes steam.
Additional modifications: His front claws are human-like enough to build any tools a mad inventor can

Detailed description:
Zarakkan is a lean blue dragon with red eyes. He has two horns growing out of the back of his head, front claws with which he can build stuff, back legs for standing, and he has a harness with a gem on his back for technomagical defensive purposes. He wears goggles on his head and a power claw on his right claw.

Personality:
Zarakkan is eccentric to say the least. He loves talking about magitech and has a manic genius when it comes to solving problems with it. He will go off tangents about things he remembers from his travels, an has a certain duality of fire and ice to him, bouncing back and forth between passion and logic and often intermixing the two for his science, and he truly believes in individualistic expression and despite the darkness of his life he doesn't let stuff get to him.

Relationship:
-Has an Archenemy, known as Kirnarraz, a black dragon who equals his genius at magitech but does not have Zarakkan's morals

History:
He grew up under parents that had opposite personalities. One was his mother, Enshana who was calm, caring, compassionate and patient, teaching an educating him. The other was his father Zarnassil who was brutal, bullying, abusive, quick-tempered and darwinistic. Zarakkan loved his mother far more than his father, and soon in an argument Enshana was killed by Zarnassil, and Zarakkan in revenge crafted a weapon to kill Zarnassil and succeeded. He then left his parents lair behind after burying his mother, not wanting to stay in such a sorrowful place

He then traveled through the nations and learned how to make magitech, growing up on his own wits and ingenuity. However he was soon attacked by dragon slayers and he had to learn to fight against them, using any tactic he can to get away and fight on his terms. He soon met Kirnarraz, another dragon hunted by them and together they defeated this band of dragon slayers by working together. They soon discovered they shared a common interest in magitech.

But soon Kirnarraz grew jealous of Zarakkan's genius and wanted to outdo him. He built a monstrous machine to kill Zarakkan to prove his magitech was greater and Zarakkan was appalled by his lack of morality, and in the ensuing fight Zarakkan blew up the machine and defeated Kirnarraz, but Kirnarraz survived. In fact over Zarakkan's life he would attack twice more, each time Zarakkan defeating him, but Zarakkan losing whatever base or workshop he had managed to set up in that time and thus forcing him to start over from scratch, all Zarakkan knows is that Kirnarraz has annoying tendency to not die.

However Zarakkan doesn't give up so easily, and now sets out to build more magitech, to establish another laboratory, and begin inventing, and hopefully making something interesting happen, maybe help people along the way! His age um....hm, well is at the very least considered an adult dragon by now and has seen enough to be worldly and knowledgeable about the world.

Stats
A 10 would be considered average amongst dragonkind. 20 would be considered first-rate. 30 means you’re probably the best in the world at this. Rate yourself accordingly.
Strength: 5
Agility: 17
Intelligence: 25
Wisdom: 9
Toughness: 9
Charisma: 18

Reputation
Unless stated otherwise, you can leave these out. Your resident storyteller will assign them based on your backstory. Rate on a scale of -10 to 10.
Goodness/Evilness:
Compassion/Cruelty:
Intimidation:
Fame:
Trustworthiness:

Attacks
Steam Breath Attack:
Can fire a really hot jet of steam at his foes. This can burn people, so don't think its harmless.

Steam Breath Cloaking:
Can fire his steam breath at the ground instead to cause a smokescreen so that he can escape from a fight

Magitech Harness:
Wears a harness around himself that manipulates light. It was two functions: the first is to turn him invisible at his command, and the second is to fire lightning from the gem placed on top of his back and set into the harness on both his command and to automatically blast it any fool who dares to attack from behind or jump on his back, as a defensive measure

Tail Spike Weapon:
Has put a chainsaw tail spike weapon his tail to make sure anyone who approaches from behind gets a stabbing. with a tail chainsaw.

Power Claw:
A steampunk glove-claw that fits on his right claw. Really packs a punch, and is what he used to kill his father with.

Goggles:
They do nothing. Currently.

High Temperature Resistance:
Can withstand incredibly high temperatures that humans cannot

Amphibious:
He can breath under water indefinitely


though to be honest, 25 for Int is a conservative estimate for Zarakkan, he could easily be 30 with the level of inventiveness, but no matter what he is like a mad inventor, he is at Spark-levels of mad science so....really high intelligence.

[Rater202]

Hmm, I still don't like nubers in freeform, not like, with predefined stats.

Seriously, whats wrong with just saying how strong they are?

Or if we're gonna use a scale, how about we use a scale we already have values and examples for? I'm quite fond of the Nasu scale, that's easy to hack.

[cavalieredraghi]

We don't need to hack everything. I am using numbers to help my understanding of my character. I don't know how strong my character actually is. Just because one does not like numbers should not limit the other players who do. Let me represent my character as I see fit, and vice versa

[Rater202]

When I said hack, what I meant was "get rid of the pluses and minuses so that it's easier to grock."

[cavalieredraghi]

When I said hack, what I meant was "get rid of the pluses and minuses so that it's easier to grock."

IF we all use a system then it is not free form. I should be allowed to make my character as I see fit, yet what you are asking for is not free form then.

[Rater202]

I never said anything about using a game system-I said maybe if we'r e going to use actual ratings, why not use a preexisting rating scale that we know what the number means.

[cavalieredraghi]

What is this pre-existing rating scale then that you are suggesting?

[Rater202]

Not any in particular, though I did mention my fondness for Nasu's scale-the letters and numbers one.

[cavalieredraghi]

Nasu? As in Fate? I would rather not go with that.

[Rater202]

That's fine.

[cavalieredraghi]

why not use something at least for Stats something we are all familiar with D&D?

[Grif]

Just a note to the other interested players. You're still most welcome to chip into the discussion. :smallsmile:

I'll try and make a final decision sometime tomorrow, once everyone has said their piece.

Currently, I'm leaning towards making stats optional since some players may not want to stat out their characters explicitly, but in return, they should instead describe their characters well enough to ensure that we at least have an idea what your characters are capable of. And I'm already thinking of setting baselines for our "stats" so that we all will get a fair idea what these numbers actually mean. :smallsmile:

[Lord Raziere]

my general experience is that it doesn't matter what systems you use in freeform, it basically boils down to players negotiating how the fights go anyways.

just make the stats optional and move on, Cav and Rater will keep going like this forever if you let them. :smallsigh:

[cavalieredraghi]

And now there is a second reason for why I won't join this game, have fun everyone. When Raz eventually leaves like she normally does, I will come back.

[Rater202]

Not really, we're not arguing, we're just discussing-trying to come up with a system of numbers that means something.

but if Griff is going to make them optional it doen'st really matter.

[5a Violista]

Dragons? I like dragons. They're pretty neat.
On the other hand...I don't really like numbers. Not really all that familiar with them. But dragons!
As an aside, I will probably post slowly, will generally avoid plots, and will likely disappear for periods of time every so often. But, still! I am making a sheet.

Kabus the Dark One, the Dragonlord of the Dead, Eater of Sheep, Lord of the Three Dishonors, Child of the Saffron Executioner, Ashen Tomb of the Southwest, the Soul who Sows Despair and...[insert random name-titles made up on the spot until she feels like she has compensated enough]...
Name: Kabus
Sex/Gender: ...Dragon? Female.
Dragon type: pretty small and...um...shadow dragon? Nightmare dragon? Something along those lines.
Age: Pretty young, honestly

Body: Basically a black komodo dragon with wings. Oh! But feathers are cool, too, like dinosaurs. So, actually, more like this (http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--H4t4bko7--/c_scale,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800/18cfnt1gqz1zhjpg.jpg) but also with large wings sticking out of her back also. Also, black, purplish feathers.
Head: See the linked image
Horns: Underneath the feathers, there's some short backwards-facing horns
Claws: Has claws
Scale Color: Black, with purplish feathers
Size: Roughly komodo dragon-sized.
Body length: Um...komodo dragon mixed with raptors. So...1 meter?
Wings: Wings exist but they don't allow take-off, really; jumping off a high place she can glide and maybe use strong updrafts to her advantage but mostly can just glide and also help with balance while digging her claws into larger creatures
Tail: Feathery tail used as a counterbalance when running
Eyes: Glow a dim red

Kabus likes telling people that she was born from a conglomeration of all the vilest dreams, born as they solidified in the morning (because that's what dreams do: they're just like dew, she claims). For all she knows, that could be true; she's still pretty young and essentially raised herself by hiding from larger creatures and preying on weaker ones. Eventually, she grew more clever and found ways to hide around larger creatures: too large to care about her but large enough to scare away most creatures that would care about her. She's very opportunistic.

In actuality, she was born when a magician tried to infuse dragon eggs with negative energy. She was essentially the runt, several times smaller and hatched far later than the rest. Being so small and worthless, she was left in the sewers where she hunted rats and such, soon leaving and being forced to raise herself in the wild, still an infant child. As she grew, she moved on to eating larger things. She grew fond of undead flesh, largely because it just tasted so good.

She likes dark things, and also really fancy things. The dark things feel comfortable to her, almost like family. The fancy things give her a feeling of worth.



She can dig her claws through chinks in armor and sometimes underneath scales, and though her teeth can bite through normal scales with some work (like, say, alligators), anything slightly armored is unpierceable by her teeth. She's relatively good at finding these weak places if they exist, though, thanks to experience and her small relative size.

Breath: Breathes the stuff of nightmares; breathes darkness-made-into-a-mist; breathes misery and every other horrible negative emotion; breathes the screams of the lost and breathes the memory of oblivion
Also, air. Breathes air through her lungs.
Probably doesn't taste all that good, either. Slightly poisonous. Likes eating ghosts (she can do that pretty easily), undead creatures, and living creatures. Because of all the zombie flesh she enjoys eating so much, her mouth is pretty rancid much like a komodo dragon's. You do not want to be bitten by her if you can help it, because you'll catch so many diseases. The only venom she has is slightly numbing, though. If you remove her teeth and sterilize them, you could probably use them as an analgesic. Don't worry, they'll grow back eventually, like a month later. Sometimes when she bites particularly tough things, a tooth may fall out anyway.
She can hide pretty well in shadows, also.

Stats

Strength: Strong enough to overpower most humans who are caught unawares and who aren't wearing fancy armor and sometimes even hippos by getting on their backs. Not alligators, though: those things are scary, with their death rolls and everything.
Agility: Agile enough to hide and get away from most larger creatures
Cunning: As a matter of survival, she has become rather cunning; like a fox. Pretty good at getting out of situations
Toughness: Can survive getting trampled by a horse or antelopes
Charisma: Charismatic? Probably. She can usually convince things that she's not worth trying to eat. Not the "will lead armies to victory" kind of charismatic, though.

Did I forget anything? Are my stats/abilities "explained enough"?

Edit: I want another dragon, too. À la How to Train Your Dragon

[Grif]

Dragons? I like dragons. They're pretty neat.
On the other hand...I don't really like numbers. Not really all that familiar with them. But dragons!
As an aside, I will probably post slowly, will generally avoid plots, and will likely disappear for periods of time every so often. But, still! I am making a sheet.

Kabus the Dark One, the Dragonlord of the Dead, Eater of Sheep, Lord of the Three Dishonors, Child of the Saffron Executioner, Ashen Tomb of the Southwest, the Soul who Sows Despair and...[insert random name-titles made up on the spot until she feels like she has compensated enough]...
Name: Kabus
Sex/Gender: ...Dragon? Female.
Dragon type: pretty small and...um...shadow dragon? Nightmare dragon? Something along those lines.
Age: Pretty young, honestly

Body: Basically a black komodo dragon with wings. Oh! But feathers are cool, too, like dinosaurs. So, actually, more like this (http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--H4t4bko7--/c_scale,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800/18cfnt1gqz1zhjpg.jpg) but also with large wings sticking out of her back also. Also, black, purplish feathers.
Head: See the linked image
Horns: Underneath the feathers, there's some short backwards-facing horns
Claws: Has claws
Scale Color: Black, with purplish feathers
Size: Roughly komodo dragon-sized.
Body length: Um...komodo dragon mixed with raptors. So...1 meter?
Wings: Wings exist but they don't allow take-off, really; jumping off a high place she can glide and maybe use strong updrafts to her advantage but mostly can just glide and also help with balance while digging her claws into larger creatures
Tail: Feathery tail used as a counterbalance when running
Eyes: Glow a dim red

Kabus likes telling people that she was born from a conglomeration of all the vilest dreams, born as they solidified in the morning (because that's what dreams do: they're just like dew, she claims). For all she knows, that could be true; she's still pretty young and essentially raised herself by hiding from larger creatures and preying on weaker ones. Eventually, she grew more clever and found ways to hide around larger creatures: too large to care about her but large enough to scare away most creatures that would care about her. She's very opportunistic.

In actuality, she was born when a magician tried to infuse dragon eggs with negative energy. She was essentially the runt, several times smaller and hatched far later than the rest. Being so small and worthless, she was left in the sewers where she hunted rats and such, soon leaving and being

She likes dark things, and also really fancy things.



She can dig her claws through chinks in armor and sometimes underneath scales, and though her teeth can bite through normal scales with some work (like, say, alligators), anything slightly armored is unpierceable by her teeth. She's relatively good at finding these weak places if they exist, though, thanks to experience and her small relative size.

Breath: Breathes the stuff of nightmares; breathes darkness-made-into-a-mist; breathes misery and every other horrible negative emotion; breathes the screams of the lost and breathes the memory of oblivion
Also, air. Breathes air through her lungs.
Probably doesn't taste all that good, either. Slightly poisonous. Likes eating ghosts (she can do that pretty easily), undead creatures, and living creatures. Because of all the zombie flesh she enjoys eating so much, her mouth is pretty rancid much like a komodo dragon's. You do not want to be bitten by her if you can help it, because you'll catch so many diseases. The only venom she has is slightly numbing, though. If you remove her teeth and sterilize them, you could probably use them as an analgesic. Don't worry, they'll grow back eventually, like a month later. Sometimes when she bites particularly tough things, a tooth may fall out anyway.
She can hide pretty well in shadows, also.

Stats

Strength: Strong enough to overpower most humans who are caught unawares and who aren't wearing fancy armor and sometimes even hippos by getting on their backs. Not alligators, though: those things are scary, with their death rolls and everything.
Agility: Agile enough to hide and get away from most larger creatures
Cunning: As a matter of survival, she has become rather cunning; like a fox. Pretty good at getting out of situations
Toughness: Can survive getting trampled by a horse or antelopes
Charisma: Charismatic? Probably. She can usually convince things that she's not worth trying to eat. Not the "will lead armies to victory" kind of charismatic, though.

Did I forget anything? Are my stats/abilities "explained enough"?

I think it's descriptive enough. :smallsmile: Can I add it to the list?

[DJ Yung Crunk]

Man. I'm still not sure what kind of character to create.

[igordragonian]

Name: Gorimirden
Gender: Male,
Body: Hydra like. Quadrupedal, three headed with long snake like necks, chubby built, like a barrel.
Head: (Smooth or ridged. Or perhaps adorned with bling.)
Horns: Short antler like horn on each head.
Claws: Hind claws small, almost symbolic. Fore claws... like of a monstrous mole. Can dig through earth, rocks, diamonds and you.
Scale Color: Bronze/brown
Size: About the size of grown elephant.
Body length: About 19 foot. From prime head to tail
Wings: four Prosthetic wings, made of dwarven mythril. Very heavy and not comfortable. Runes made of gems giving the wings power to lift him when needed. But.. it's not as fun as real wings.
Tail: about 6 feet, getting round and spiky at the end like a mace.
Breath: Spitting magma!
Additional modifications: Mythril wings.

Detailed description: Gormirden is a three headed dragon with hydra like body. He heavy built like an alligator, with short but strong legs. His forelegs's claws are about as long as the forelegs themselvs. On his back four prosthetic wings made of mythril, with runes written with gems, which giving them life. His bronze scales usually covered with dust, and dirt. His eyes are golden and shining even at the darkness under the mountains.

Personality: All the three personalities? Fine. Hmph.
Gor is the main head. Assertive, quite and decisive. but also thoughtful. Usually he is the last one to talk, and to decide.
Mir, is the left head. He is compassionate, poetic and artistic. Sometimes getting nostalgic. Love beauty and treasures.
Den, is the righr head. He is cruel, sadistic. Enjoy eating creatures alive. Always kill when he can do it without trouble. But he also very lazy.

Relationship: With the dwarven king, Burinir Black-Mead. The king still wonder if Gormirden worth the gold, or worth the axes,,,

History: Mother of Gormirden, came from the very depth of the underdark. She was called, Kharlisronkhugarbina. (Khar-lis-ron-khu-gar-bi-na. Each part of the name, is the name of one of her seven heads) First, she tried to devour all the dwarves, but then came to agreement with them. Each month, they will feed her with a dwarven virgin, and give her a ton of gold and gems. She for that will protect their little kingdom. She did so, for 2000 years. Gormirden was born from unknown male dragon, which Kharlisronkhugarbina enslaved and later eaten.
But few years ago, a dragon who turned demonic have fought her a fierce battle, which have ruined most of the kingdom! Both died.
Gormirden, now had to take her place- despite his young age of 300 years, and despite the fact most of the kingdom was in ruins.
Stats
A 10 would be considered average amongst dragonkind. 20 would be considered first-rate. 30 means you’re probably the best in the world at this. Rate yourself accordingly.
Strength:23
Agility: 6
Intelligence:15
Wisdom:17
Toughness:26
Charisma:7

Reputation
Unless stated otherwise, you can leave these out. Your resident storyteller will assign them based on your backstory. Rate on a scale of -10 to 10.
Goodness/Evilness:
Compassion/Cruelty:
Intimidation:
Fame:
Trustworthiness:

Attacks
Magma spit
triple Magma spit
Digging
Tail mace
Bite
triple bite
ramming
Tripple ramming
How is that?

[Grif]

Man. I'm still not sure what kind of character to create.

Take your time. We won't be starting until this weekend, at least. :smallsmile:


Name: Gorimirden
Gender: Male,
Body: Hydra like. Quadrupedal, three headed with long snake like necks, chubby built, like a barrel.
Head: (Smooth or ridged. Or perhaps adorned with bling.)
Horns: Short antler like horn on each head.
Claws: Hind claws small, almost symbolic. Fore claws... like of a monstrous mole. Can dig through earth, rocks, diamonds and you.
Scale Color: Bronze/brown
Size: About the size of grown elephant.
Body length: About 19 foot. From prime head to tail
Wings: four Prosthetic wings, made of dwarven mythril. Very heavy and not comfortable. Runes made of gems giving the wings power to lift him when needed. But.. it's not as fun as real wings.
Tail: about 6 feet, getting round and spiky at the end like a mace.
Breath: Spitting magma!
Additional modifications: Mythril wings.

Detailed description: Gormirden is a three headed dragon with hydra like body. He heavy built like an alligator, with short but strong legs. His forelegs's claws are about as long as the forelegs themselvs. On his back four prosthetic wings made of mythril, with runes written with gems, which giving them life. His bronze scales usually covered with dust, and dirt. His eyes are golden and shining even at the darkness under the mountains.

Personality: All the three personalities? Fine. Hmph.
Gor is the main head. Assertive, quite and decisive. but also thoughtful. Usually he is the last one to talk, and to decide.
Mir, is the left head. He is compassionate, poetic and artistic. Sometimes getting nostalgic. Love beauty and treasures.
Den, is the righr head. He is cruel, sadistic. Enjoy eating creatures alive. Always kill when he can do it without trouble. But he also very lazy.

Relationship: With the dwarven king, Burinir Black-Mead. The king still wonder if Gormirden worth the gold, or worth the axes,,,

History: Mother of Gormirden, came from the very depth of the underdark. She was called, Kharlisronkhugarbina. (Khar-lis-ron-khu-gar-bi-na. Each part of the name, is the name of one of her seven heads) First, she tried to devour all the dwarves, but then came to agreement with them. Each month, they will feed her with a dwarven virgin, and give her a ton of gold and gems. She for that will protect their little kingdom. She did so, for 2000 years. Gormirden was born from unknown male dragon, which Kharlisronkhugarbina enslaved and later eaten.
But few years ago, a dragon who turned demonic have fought her a fierce battle, which have ruined most of the kingdom! Both died.
Gormirden, now had to take her place- despite his young age of 300 years, and despite the fact most of the kingdom was in ruins.
Stats
A 10 would be considered average amongst dragonkind. 20 would be considered first-rate. 30 means you’re probably the best in the world at this. Rate yourself accordingly.
Strength:23
Agility: 6
Intelligence:15
Wisdom:17
Toughness:26
Charisma:7

Reputation
Unless stated otherwise, you can leave these out. Your resident storyteller will assign them based on your backstory. Rate on a scale of -10 to 10.
Goodness/Evilness:
Compassion/Cruelty:
Intimidation:
Fame:
Trustworthiness:

Attacks
Magma spit
triple Magma spit
Digging
Tail mace
Bite
triple bite
ramming
Tripple ramming
How is that?

Seems good, a three-headed dragon is interesting. Though I think I'll need to update my character sheet so y'all don't go around filling up outdated stuff.

Okay, on the subject of character sheets, I think we'll do it this way. You may either use Rater's or my sheet to build your dragon. I don't think any of us would much care how you do it, but one thing should be paramount: it should convey all the necessary information about your dragon. I'll update my OP to reflect this, so those of you waiting on me can get started. :smalltongue:

On the subject of stats, let's do it this way. We'll be using the D&D default of using "10" to represent an average adult human being, with 0 representing inanimate objects. However, when scaling up, every 10 in a stat would double the previous value. Eg. 20 Str would represent double human strength. 30 Str would be quadruple, 40 would be eight times, 50 would be 16x and so on. While I expect to see very big numbers in the Str and Toughness department at least (dragons are supposed to be strong, right? :smalltongue: ), you'd have at least a fair idea on how well you stack up. But again, I reiterate: stats are entirely optional, and is just an alternative way to represent your character without going into words. I think the main advantage of this would be it'll enable others to also represent other beings in the setting as they see fit.

Comments? Suggestions? Tell me how bad this idea is.

[Rater202]

I'm sorry, uut I'm going to have to withdraw my interest at this time.

[5a Violista]

Regarding numbers...I'm not using them so I don't particularly care. How about the people who have already created sheets? I think this compared-to-human scale is better in that it's relative to something we already understand (rather than a fictional creature) but it leaves a couple of questions, such as: is 0 half as strong as a human? Then -10 would be a quarter as strong...and so on? These people who already made numbers will have to redo them, and I can see it being pretty susceptible to numerical overinflation for dragons made later.


I think it's descriptive enough. :smallsmile: Can I add it to the list?
Yes. Go ahead.


Man. I'm still not sure what kind of character to create.
You should make a dragon whose main goal in life is to become a famous rock star.
[/random idea]

[sildra45]

While I've already spoken with some of those working on this, I figured maybe putting my character out there might help get a feel.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1acdsBtq9QMTgF1n2p4QIO6GoOUZfB7FtAQiTmhaMj3w/edit?usp=sharing

Thoughts and critiques welcome....so long as they're constructive. :smalleek:

[Grif]

Apologies for the sudden lack of updates. Am about to be hospitalised and that certainly puts a damper on things. Will return as soon as possible! (Hopefully with the IC thread up and running so I don't hold up anyone.)

[igordragonian]

I pray you'l get better soon!

[DJ Yung Crunk]

We'll wait on you, Grif. Don't worry. You just get better.

Love you.

[Lord Raziere]

ok I'll wait for you, Grif.

while we do so, why don't we discuss a few things about our characters? like size. I'm thinking my dragon is going to the size of a large car. what are the sizes of other dragons, just to get a sense of size for how we want them to be. and how they'll interact with each other and the world around them. a dragon's size will really impact certain things! the bigger the dragon, the more likely people will be able to hide from you in spaces where you can't fit, as well as being easier to spot and hit. dragons seem to be common so size will inform a lot about what tactics people use to fight them with. y'know, just to see what to expect.

[igordragonian]

Good point. Hmm.. I have imagined mine at size of an elephant. He is heavy built and slow.

[sildra45]

Realizing my dragon is a competent shapeshifter, it dawned on me his size is actually adjustable even on the fly...so for his 'normal', or unaltered state, I'd wager he's around 75 to 80 feet tall on all fours. [ 22 to 24 meters]

I might be changing his general look to match a picture I had made a while back, and I'm thinking of using it...possibly.

Let me know what you think of this design vs. the description I gave: http://silverdragon45.deviantart.com/art/Sildrae-Battle-Mode-603658800

Note his forepaws/hands won't be as pudgy, but still as large w/claws.


Otherwise it'll be the description, which will look similar to these guys minus the wings: http://blazetbw.deviantart.com/art/Sands-and-Silver-103780842

[Grif]

Okay. I think... I recovered enough to use a computer for extended periods of time, so I'll be writing down a proper intro and perhaps drawing a real map so everyone would know where's where and such. So uh, expect something in the next day or so.

On size, I'd imagine the "average" dragon is about the size of a car.

@Mahonri Violist
I actually meant for 0-10 to scale linearly, then scale exponentially from 10 onwards, so we won't be using negative numbers. 0 would represent a dumb, unthinking, inanimate object. While I expect number inflation to be a thing, at least it'll be number inflation which can be roughly assessed. (ie. 100 str would just mean a dragon is 2^9 stronger than a human :smalltongue: )

[PurityIcekiller]

Say, I finally got around to revising the SpOke pair from the old roleplay. Here they are.

Description
Name: Sparkwing
Type: Lesser lightning dragon

Description: Sparkwing is a slender dog-sized blue dragon. His hide has a rough, ridged texture, and his scales are metallic and sometimes flicker with static charge. His eyes are very bright green. He has broad, leathery wings built for manoeuvrability and is a very agile flier. He has a pair of silvery horns that gently curve backward. His claws are silvery in colour and generally unremarkable. His tail is narrow with a tiny bulb on the end. He's not particularly strong, as might be expected, and relies more on his quick wings and quick wits to survive.

Personality: Sparkwing is a timid, jittery sort. He startles easily and tries to avoid dangerous situations whenever possible. He's kind and respectful to those he trusts, but getting him to trust you is a challenge in and of itself. He doesn't like to make trouble or get into fights, partially out of compassion and partially out of cowardice. He can be extremely creative under pressure, mostly with ways to avoid large things with teeth or deathtraps. His main interests are puzzles and other intellectual challenges, preferably those that aren't too dangerous.

Relationships: Sparkwing has a close bond with his foster sister Smoketail. The two usually work together to accomplish tasks, with Sparkwing handling the mental side while Smoketail handles the physical side.

History: In the hills of the Erzaron Consortium, there was once a valley full of lesser dragons. This small creatures mostly kept to themselves, avoiding the attacks of dwarven hunters after hides and live dragons to sell as exotic pets. They came in a wide variety, with different colours and abilities, but they managed to live together in harmony.

One of these dragons, a frost drake named Iceridge, longed to be a mother, but discovered to her dismay that she was completely infertile. However, after one particularly nasty raid by poachers, a family of fire dragons and a family of lightning dragons were all but wiped out, with only their eggs remaining. Iceridge decided to take the chance to raise these orphaned eggs as her own. From one clutch came Sparkwing, and from the other came Smoketail. Despite their differing breeds, Iceridge and the young dragons all viewed each other as family.

Then, while the youngsters were still coming of age, disaster struck. The dwarves came back in force, seizing those dragons they could and killing the ones who resisted. Iceridge was captured, and Sparkwing and Smoketail were forced to flee. To make matters worse, the dwarves' attack wasn't just another raid; they had taken over the valley completely.

Since then, Sparkwing and Smoketail have stayed together for protection and roamed the land looking for a place to settle. Although they sometimes dream of returning home, driving the dwarves out, and getting their family back together, they know there is little hope of doing so.

Stats
Strength: Poor
Dexterity: Very high
Constitution: Moderate
Intelligence: Very high
Wisdom: Medium-high
Charisma: Medium-high

Abilities
Lightning Breath: Sparkwing's breath weapon is a bolt of electricity. Usually, it takes multiple shocks to kill anything bigger than a housecat, but it can still stun creatures momentarily and is very, very painful. It can also power or disable electronic devices, should anyone invent them.
Electricity Immunity: Conductive scales that function like a Faraday cage and a well-insulated body beneath them make Sparkwing, for all intents and purposes, invulnerable to the harmful effects of electricity. Naturally, this includes his own breath.
Charged Scales: Sparkwing's scales tend to build up static electricity, giving an annoying but harmless shock to anyone who touches him unexpectedly. They can also hold stronger charges temporarily, making him especially dangerous right after being struck by lightning or similar.


Description
Name: Smoketail
Type: Lesser fire dragon

Description: Smoketail is a stocky black dragon about the size of a dog. Her body is covered with thick, scaly plates. She has purple eyes. Her wings are long, slender and leathery, designed for speed; while she's not particularly nimble in the air, she can fly fast and make terrifying high-speed dives. She has two straight, white, rear-facing horns. Her claws are white and somewhat thicker than normal. Her tail ends in a sharp triangular blade. She's surprisingly strong and durable for her size, and capable of holding her own against much larger opponents.

Personality: Smoketail is very blunt and straightforward. She can be abrasive, and doesn't have much patience for foolishness or disrespect. She is extremely protective of others, especially Sparkwing since he's her only real family left. She's fond of collecting treasures, especially magical ones, and she hates thieves with a passion.

Relationships: Smoketail has a close bond with her foster brother Sparkwing. The two usually work together to accomplish tasks, with Sparkwing handling the mental side while Smoketail handles the physical side.

History: In the hills of the Erzaron Consortium, there was once a valley full of lesser dragons. This small creatures mostly kept to themselves, avoiding the attacks of dwarven hunters after hides and live dragons to sell as exotic pets. They came in a wide variety, with different colours and abilities, but they managed to live together in harmony.

One of these dragons, a frost drake named Iceridge, longed to be a mother, but discovered to her dismay that she was completely infertile. However, after one particularly nasty raid by poachers, a family of fire dragons and a family of lightning dragons were all but wiped out, with only their eggs remaining. Iceridge decided to take the chance to raise these orphaned eggs as her own. From one clutch came Sparkwing, and from the other came Smoketail. Despite their differing breeds, Iceridge and the young dragons all viewed each other as family.

Then, while the youngsters were still coming of age, disaster struck. The dwarves came back in force, seizing those dragons they could and killing the ones who resisted. Iceridge was captured, and Sparkwing and Smoketail were forced to flee. To make matters worse, the dwarves' attack wasn't just another raid; they had taken over the valley completely.

Since then, Sparkwing and Smoketail have stayed together for protection and roamed the land looking for a place to settle. Although they sometimes dream of returning home, driving the dwarves out, and getting their family back together, they know there is little hope of doing so.

Stats
Strength: High, especially for her size
Dexterity: Medium-high
Constitution: Very high
Intelligence: High
Wisdom: Medium-high
Charisma: Poor

Abilities
Fire Breath: Smoketail's breath weapon is a burst of flame. It isn't much hotter than a typical fire, but it burns longer and is harder to extinguish.
Heatproof: Being a fire dragon, Smoketail is extremely resistant to high temperatures. Normal fire and her own breath weapon are harmless to her, and she can swim in lava without serious injury.
Flaming Charge: One of Smoketail's favourite tactics is to wreath herself in her own flames, then slam into an enemy at high speed to smash and ignite them at the same time. It takes a moment for both her and her target to recover from the impact; although this can leave her vulnerable if she misses, she usually comes out better than whoever she hit does.
Tail Slash: Smoketail's tail-blade isn't just decorative; it's a potentially deadly weapon. She often uses it to get an extra strike in while withdrawing to charging distance.

[5a Violista]

So I was just talking with someone about How to Train Your Dragon and I absolutely would love to also play a dragon like one from that setting. Night Furies are so cool, but it seems like it might be hard to fit one into roleplaying...I'll have to think about things. . . . . . . . . . . .

[Lord Raziere]

I actually meant for 0-10 to scale linearly, then scale exponentially from 10 onwards, so we won't be using negative numbers. 0 would represent a dumb, unthinking, inanimate object. While I expect number inflation to be a thing, at least it'll be number inflation which can be roughly assessed. (ie. 100 str would just mean a dragon is 2^9 stronger than a human :smalltongue: )

Man, I don't even know what scale we are using anymore, I'm just making Zarakkan very intelligent, agile but not very tough or strong for a dragon of his size.

so if I'm looking at this right, aside from my own (steam dragon inventor) we have:

-two dog-sized cute little dragons
-an elephant-sized three headed dragon with prosthetic wings
-a little dark dragon who is overcompensating
-a potential dragon from How To Train Your Dragon...
-whatever DJ Yung Crunk comes up with
-a water dragon who wants to fit into humanoid society
-a land wyrm blacksmith

seems like a good mix of big and small dragons here.

[igordragonian]

Oh.
Would it be ok, if my dragon had digging skills?
Like a mole?

[sildra45]

Oh.
Would it be ok, if my dragon had digging skills?
Like a mole?

Personally I don't see why not.

[Grif]

Okay! I think I procrastinated long enough. You have my most sincere apologies for that. Between illness, procrastination and the untimely release of a new game, I dawdled on this far too long. But now, I think I shall finalise everything, and post the IC thread. Thank you all, for being so patient. :smallsmile:

I don't think we really have much to add, so let's get started.

I will note that I intentionally left a lot of the world blank, so feel free to fill it in with your own stories if you like.

[JohnTheSavage]

This sounds awesome! I'm in!


Name: Taisa the Messenger
Sex/Gender: Male
Dragon type- Winged quadruped.
If Taisa could be described in one word, it would be "sleek". Streamlined in shape, pointed in features and lean in body, Taisa is clearly built for speed.

Taisa's body proportions have him as longer and thinner, but hardly weak or frail, Taisa has a visible wiry strength to him. His wings are a bit larger than average and his tail longer than most, with a sizable blade comprising the tail's tip.

Taisa' scales are smooth and shiny, coloured in a bright gold. Taisa has no horns, but is equipped with sharp claws and teeth. However, these are tools rather than weapons of war; the teeth built for carnivorous diet, the claws built for burrowing and climbing.

Taisa is on the small side for a dragon, being a little bigger than a large horse.

Taisa is a fairly young dragon, born in the highest mountains of the Commonwealth. Always partial to adventure and travel, Taisa wandered and flew throughout the world, exploring and adventuring to his heart's content. Still, a dragon's natural desire for riches is difficult to ignore.

Taisa decided to line up his desires with his skill and speed in flying by becoming a freelance messenger for whoever was paying. With his great speed and the fact that few would dare stand in the way of a dragon, he now works extensively with the governments of the world; delivering the most urgent and important messages, usually between the governments themselves. While loyal to himself first, Taisa has earned the trust of near all the governments in the world, his abilities as a fast and reliable messenger extremely useful in these troubled times.

Taisa is an adventurous sort, living for the thrill of life. Fun-loving and personable, Taisa loves making new friends and will avoid conflict if possible. Taisa loves flight, the freedom of the open sky, and generally feels uncomfortable indoors or staying in one place for any extended period.

Taisa is built for speed and agility rather than brute strength. In fact, he'd tell you he's the fastest and most agile creature in the world, bar none. And if this is not completely true, he's close at the very least. While no hulking brute, Taisa is no weakling; his muscles hard and lean from constant use.

Taisa is equipped with a decent set of claws and teeth but prefers to use his deadly sharp tail blade in a physical fight, but will mix things up if he must.

Taisa's breath weapon is air itself. He exhales the primal force of wind, blowing away foes and influencing air currents to enhance his already incredible flight abilities to unnatural hights.

[igordragonian]

Is there any chance to know where each character is geographicly?
I'm not sure where do I start

[5a Violista]

My character's location is currently undefined: I'll just have her show up wherever I want because it doesn't matter. Most likely, though, somewhere where some other dragon already is because then there's the chance for interaction.

[Emperor Ing]

How come i'm only just now hearing about this? :smallbiggrin:

I'll try to come up with a character soon-ish.

[Grif]

Is there any chance to know where each character is geographicly?
I'm not sure where do I start

I'll try to get a proper map as soon as possible. :smallsmile:


How come i'm only just now hearing about this? :smallbiggrin:

I'll try to come up with a character soon-ish.

Welcome aboard! :smallbiggrin: (And JohnTheSavage too!)

I can see the lack of proper geography is already causing some confusion, so best nip that in the bud.

EDIT: Looks like a simple map isn't entirely out of my reach.

http://i.imgur.com/DTBKSxD.png

Note: I intentionally left a lot of the map unlabelled, so you guys can name them if it so happens you cross any of them. I might add more independent cities as I go on.

[Emperor Ing]

And character! I was thinking of a Mad Scholar type deal with a bit more draconic greed for good measure. Fortunately he's not crazy, yet, but he'll be a bit off.


Do you doubt me? Can you not see my serious-face? Oh this? Pay attention Shopkeep, i'm educating you! Put down that broom! This is an Storm-Eye Orb! A priceless magical artifact of unfathomable arcane power from the ancient Perrigan civilization, and you were using it as a paperweight? Yes I know it's box-shaped, the Perrigans weren't quite sure what an "orb" was supposed to be shaped like. There's only one other Storm-Eye in the world! I'd hate to learn what other priceless historical and magical artifacts you have wasting away! Perhaps an Eversword as a bread slicer or the Hand of Time as a backscratcher?! Oh? Of course I smashed it on the ground. I said I smashed it on the ground! Stop asking what I did, already! It was for a good cause, you see, now I have the only Storm-Eye Orb in the world! Don't you see? It's value can only increase now that there is only one in the world! Hey, calm down! Not the broom! Hey!
-Hektirithir the Lost to Jack Flendersen on the topic of Flendersen's unwitting ownership of a Storm-Eye Orb.

Name: Hektirithir
Sex/Gender: Male
Dragon type: Winged Quadrupedal

Hektirithir body is covered in pale orange scales that fade into a soft white on his underbelly. At the extremities on his body at both sets of legs, in addition to the ends of the crest on the back of his head, his scales darken into a light brown. His claws and horns are all a shiny lustrous gold. Behind his head a bony crest forms a funnel shape that opens up towards his neck, ending with several golden horns. From this funnel is a mane of white hair. His wings are feathery birdlike pinions with a similar pale-gold coloration as the rest of Hektirithir.

Hektir is quite young, standing on all fours with wings folded, only being slightly larger than a pony (though noticeably longer.)



Hektirithir or simply Hector grew up rather poor, at least by dragon standards. His family never seemed to be able to accumulate anything resembling a respectable hoard, and as such were looked upon by other dragons with contempt and even the lesser races seemed to disregard any threat the family might pose. Indeed his mother was a diplomat and his father an artisan who worked often for nothing, disguised as a human in the nearby town.

Whatever virtue they and their modest lifestyles attempted to impart on their children, it was lost on Hector, who became frustrated by the family's lack of financial progress, criticizing his parents for their lack of greed. His mother informed him that power and prestige don't simply come from the number of coins one has. He took this lesson to heart, but interpreted it very incorrectly. Why hoard currency, after all? It's value only exists insofar as others are willing to perceive it having value. Sure it's delicious, but then why not hoard cattle?

Rather, Hector found a different path. In another one of his parents' attempts to help them integrate peacefully with human society, Hector went into a library, where he discovered a new path to wealth: Obscure, hidden knowledge. References to ancient civilizations, obscure religions, and other pieces of hidden and forgotten lore. Whether it be truthful or otherwise, knowledge, in and of itself had value. Especially when that knowledge led to ancient and forgotten ruins, which held ancient and forgotten artifacts!

Since this enlightening moment, Hector has pursued all manner of forgotten lore, even using his own resources and powers towards archaeology expeditions. He has developed a very impressive collection of priceless historical artifacts of every sort, from ancient, non-magical pottery to powerful magical artifacts. His desire for priceless ancient lore has destructive tendencies, however. After all, he loathes competition for his artifacts and will often destroy books just so nobody else can know about these facts, simply to increase their value. Scarcity does have a relationship to value, after all. Fortunately, if his parents were able to impart one lesson onto him, its a respect for life. Hector dislikes violence. He is willing to defend himself if needed, but will try to avoid a fight, especially against a living, sentient enemy, in which case he will most likely flee or try to avoid them completely. He is also quite squeamish.



Hector can fly fairly well. For a dragon his age and size, his strength and toughness are quite lacking, doing everything he can to avoid fights, and will try to flee if attacked. Fortunately he does make up for his physical weakness with intelligence and a decent agility. The fact that he can make use of spellcasting helps as well, as he has access to several weak, low-level spells like the ability to cast light or create illusions such as fake walls.

His breath-weapon is an arc of lightning.

He has access to the Storm-Eye Orb, which allows him to control the movement of weather. He's found out that it's not actually that useful in practice since it can neither create or destroy weather, simply relocate it, and only then very, very slowly.

Finally, he has extensive knowledge of historical and esoteric knowledge, the more obscure or forbidden, the better!

[Emperor Ing]

So uh, any ideas where I can hop in?

[igordragonian]

Maybe he'l meet my dragon who also looking for treasures and good to revive his kingdom?
He might feel the earth shaking under his claws..

[Grif]

Maybe he'l meet my dragon who also looking for treasures and good to revive his kingdom?
He might feel the earth shaking under his claws..

Speaking of, for you and any other dragon that might have a kingdom of a sort, please do mark them on the map (by any image program you have) and send 'em to me. I'll add them. :smallsmile:

[igordragonian]

here the map...

http://postimg.org/image/60uko3gdt/
The kingdom supposed to look like after apocalyptic battle between ancient dragon and a demonic dragon

[Emperor Ing]

Your link is bad.

So I fixed it.


http://s32.postimg.org/ej40sfmwl/DTBKSx_D.png

[Grif]

here the map...
The kingdom supposed to look like after apocalyptic battle between ancient dragon and a demonic dragon


Your link is bad.

So I fixed it.


http://s32.postimg.org/ej40sfmwl/DTBKSx_D.png


Thanks, Emperor Ing. :smallsmile: I'll add it to the map after work tonight. (I hope the name of that kingdom is somewhere in your profile.)

[igordragonian]

Your link is bad.

So I fixed it.


http://s32.postimg.org/ej40sfmwl/DTBKSx_D.png


Ing-sama you are truly the best!

[Grif]

I updated the map in the IC. :smallsmile:

Also, I have ported over everyone's (hopefully) characters into this sheet (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JsaGE24UYrfIIpcuCCWS4WG0A41YFPcWl2MAYXshf5g/edit). You're welcome to edit it, no sign-in required.

[Emperor Ing]

Hektirithir isn't on the sheet.

[DJ Yung Crunk]

Oh we've started have we? Sorry, I kind of dropped off.

[Grif]

Oh we've started have we? Sorry, I kind of dropped off.

Indeed we have! Feel free to hop in whenever you're ready. :smallsmile:

[DJ Yung Crunk]

I'll figure it out. Where are our character sheets right now? I would like to know what everyone else plays.

[Grif]

All links should be in the first post.

But here it is. (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JsaGE24UYrfIIpcuCCWS4WG0A41YFPcWl2MAYXshf5g/edit#heading=h.x38hy0dp2qv3)

@Emperor Ing
I added Hector :smallsmile:

[sildra45]

In case anyone's wondering, I'm waitin' for a Taisa reply. ^^;

[Grif]

I know, it's strange that the one who mooted about the game hasn't even participated yet. But! I come to you with a character idea!

Who wants a clingy kobold who worships the first dragon who saves his measly life? (Technically not a dragon, but kobolds are dragon-lite, right? :smalltongue: )

[Emperor Ing]

Go for it! Hektir will be happy to help save someone's life.

[Lord Raziere]

In case anyone's wondering, I'm waitin' for a Taisa reply. ^^;

Yeah, Taisa's player: JohntheSavage hasn't responded for 10 days, and while I like JohntheSavage, he tends to go absent for long periods of time. usually weeks or months. I wouldn't hold your breath. So...your call if you want to keep waiting for him.

[Grif]

Yeah, Taisa's player: JohntheSavage hasn't responded for 10 days, and while I like JohntheSavage, he tends to go absent for long periods of time. usually weeks or months. I wouldn't hold your breath. So...your call if you want to keep waiting for him.

Oh, thanks for the heads up. In that case, we might want to just move the scene and assume Taisa tags along as a silent companion.

[igordragonian]

for some reason last ing's post reminded me this...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J57IcTH0DQs

[Lord Raziere]

Uh, what do with the small timeskip? the others haven't responded to me....so....I don't really know what to do.

[Grif]

Gonna try poking them. If not I'll just step in to fill the gap with a (dragon) character I been musing.

[Lord Raziere]

*pokkety pokkety pokkety*

yo sildra, seems like its your cue.........just saying. I already have responses for this and it seems rude to not act without Cavoraei responding...so....you up to it or not?

[Elodin]

How big do the dragons have to be?

[Grif]

How big do the dragons have to be?

Hi! There's no set size for dragons, so go wild! I only ask that you do not make world destroyers or something similarly silly. We do want to keep the setting somewhat intact!

[Elodin]

Hi! There's no set size for dragons, so go wild! I only ask that you do not make world destroyers or something similarly silly. We do want to keep the setting somewhat intact!
I'm pretty sure that you misinterpreted my intent, but whatever. :P

[sildra45]

Yeah, I was up to it once I got through with stuff IRL, but apparently I'm not worth the wait.

I'm going to be moving soon, and it's been rough getting all the things needed in order. So, sorry I haven't been on, but I would have appreciated a little more patience.

[Lord Raziere]

Yeah, I was up to it once I got through with stuff IRL, but apparently I'm not worth the wait.

I'm going to be moving soon, and it's been rough getting all the things needed in order. So, sorry I haven't been on, but I would have appreciated a little more patience.

In my experience, A week is being patient. A month I consider a game already dead. you did not respond to my poke 11 days ago, when you could've at that time let me know what was going on, when you already hadn't responded for 10 days by then. so it took you 21 days to respond, which you didn't check in between and let me know what was up when I poked you halfway through.

I tried what I could. you could've responded 11 days ago and told me, but you didn't. admittedly I could've PM'd you, of course. but if it takes you this long to respond, then you must let people know why, and can't just expect them to be patient for no reason, because without information, people have nothing but assumptions to go on.

[Hawkflight]

So, um, is this game still open?

[Grif]

So, um, is this game still open?

For a given of open. I'm currently a little too preoccupied with real-life to pay attention to this much at the moment, sadly. (And a few others as well.)

[Hawkflight]

For a given of open. I'm currently a little too preoccupied with real-life to pay attention to this much at the moment, sadly. (And a few others as well.)

Well, if there's anyone here interested in RPing together, I was thinking of making a baby dragon. Freshly-hatched, though obviously dragons are more intelligent upon hatching than most species' infants.

[igordragonian]

Well, if there's anyone here interested in RPing together, I was thinking of making a baby dragon. Freshly-hatched, though obviously dragons are more intelligent upon hatching than most species' infants.

me, Ing and Raziere were in middle of rp..