Thursday, November 27, 2014

Things That I Like: 4 Conflicts Between Order and Chaos

“In Michael Moorcock’s universe, a war is fought by two separate yet equally important groups: Law, which provides the fundamental capability of existence, and Chaos, which provides the ability for change and development. These are their stories.”
Awhile back I wrote a post with four moral dichotomies that were not so simple as “Good vs. Evil.” I mentioned that I would probably do an article specifically treating Order and Chaos and, what do you know, that day has come.

Friday, November 21, 2014

CYOA brainstorming: Fallen Paladin

What is this about?

Fall: God is Dead
Weapon: Vampiric morning star
Powers: Necromancy 2, friend to animals, charisma, resourceful, favored by demons, unholy strength, serpent's reflexes
Companion: Engineer
Residence: Airship

When a god dies, its paladins feel the agony. They feel its loss, and the abandonment. They know, intimately, the difference between the world as it is and the world as it once was and never will be again.

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

CYOA brainstorming: Evil Controller

What is this about?

Cause: Persistence
Favorite food: Bonds
Realm: Small town
Minions: 1 Individual, 6 Weak, 12 Shadows
Powers: Truly Alien, False Creation, Figments, Corruption, Ghost Sounds, Minor Telekinesis
Bonuses: Nomadic Realm
Drawbacks: Untouchable (may only feed on the innocent), Strong Victims

The Dragon goes to and fro across the face of the Earth. It insinuates itself into small towns and spreads to fill them up. And then, it feeds.

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

CYOA brainstorming: Otherworldly Land

What is this about?

You awoke in: Deep space
Its two hazards are: Unstable ground and anomalies
Your boon is: The nanite cloud
Its malfunction is: Diabolus ex machina
Your friends are: Automatons
Your two enemies are: Ascendants and cultists
Your escape plan is: Get to the exit
The problem is: Upheaval

Our protagonist awoke in a space station of some sort. A sprawling affair that seems to go on forever. Physical laws are prone to being bent or even broken here, and the superstructure is beginning to decay, so that floors may suddenly give out, walls collapse, or doors jam.

Saturday, November 15, 2014

CYOA brainstorming: Battlemage (undead & acoustic)

What is this?

Abilities: Soul Seeker, Soul Companion, Soul Drain, Summon Undead, Empowered Undead, Army of the Dead, Aria, Hymn, Legato, In Rilievo, Elegy of Fragility, Staccato, Marcato
Skills: Charmer, Bocca Chiusa, Cappriccioso, Soul Ripper, Martyr, Thrall, Soul Gaze

Right off the bat, this is a necromancer who controls the dead through sound. Ze can't ever sleep. Ze can't ever talk, it's sign language only from here on out. Because ze must always, always be making the binary-like code that raises and controls the dead, a series of clicks with tongue and teeth that can never end.

Friday, November 14, 2014

CYOA brainstorming: Super Soldier Adventure

What is this about?

Enhancements: Nanomachines
Appearance: Unassuming (very fat)
Faction: Free Agent
Abilities: Strength 2 (beyond human potential, bench press cars and punch down walls), Agility 3 (move faster than the human eye can see, outrun bullets), Infection 2 (animal cunning, move as they did in life), Unarmed Mastery, Self-Healing 3 (regenerate limbs in a couple of days), Stealth 1 (move in total silence), Durability 2 (shrug off small arms fire, resist assault weaponry), Reflexes 2 (fast enough to dodge bullets), Endurance 2 (almost unlimited stamina, sprint for hours), Natural Toxin 1 (spit is toxic), Predator 1 (eat people in five minutes)
Perks: None
Drawbacks: Aging, Neutered, Valuable

Charles David Walker. That's his name. I don't remember why.

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

CYOA brainstorming: Spooky Adventure

What is this about?

Form: Everyman (face in a crowd)
Immortality: Rebirth
Domain: Person
Powers: Cult, Extra Sustenance (Joy), Paralysis, Wanderer, Unbound, Durability, Voices
Weaknesses: Nocturnal, Monster Hunter

The Woathman has been hunting for a long time. Its origins, even its original sex, have been lost to history. The Brandons do not remember how it started, the first transformation from human to Woathman. A deal of Faustian proportions... a ritual gone wrong...

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

CYOA brainstorming: Mage

What is this about?

Mana Blue (wood & death)
Ideal Golem (petrified wood, bone, &c)
Order Illusionist
Specialties Celerity (primary); prestidigitation, necromancy, alchemy

Our character is alone. If there is magic elsewhere in the world, there are no other mages. Not even our character knows how this happened, and ze's long since given up on explaining zir existence.

Sunday, November 9, 2014

CYOA brainstorming: Troll

What is this about?

Domain: Ice
Shape: Gargoyle
Power source: Ehh...

Let's chop out the bit about how gargoyles are bound to a building. This thing isn't bound to a building, it is a building. This thing is as big as a cathedral, and when it turns to... ice in the light of day it is safe to enter.

And no power source either. None of them are really clicking with this "big building-monster thing" idea that we've got going on.

So it has a symbiotic relationship with a small group of people, I imagine. During the day, they take shelter in its icy organs and protect it from vandals and raiders. When the sun falls and it reanimates, the cathedral beast protects the people. Perhaps the people also feed it by leaving some of their food in its stomach before they depart for the night. 

Saturday, November 8, 2014

CYOA brainstorming: Battlemage (flame & frost)

What is this about?

There are three of these sets, actually. We'll be playing with each one.

Oh, and let's ignore the cost for unlocking elements.

Abilities: Proximity shards, wall of ice, flash freeze, hydromancy, frost familiar, blaze, bonfire, molten flames, dragon fire
Skills: Frost weapons, obsidian ice, ember drinker, frost armor, heart of ice, beacon of cold, ice wings, kindle, flame armor, conflagration, phoenix

Alright. Interesting being this character is. Let's sort things out, shall we?

Equipment-wise, our character is outfitted with magical armor that is coated with tough ice. The ice adds weight but grows back over time, essentially repairing the armor. But another one of the skills grants increased agility, so let's rule that the armor makes the wearer faster but is a greater drain on stamina.

Also, the armor is the source for all these powers in the first place. Yeah.

The growth of the ice not only allows for repairs. The ice is also capable of sprouting tough, heavy wings. They're kind of feathery, save that the feathers are sharp icicles.

The ice can coat weapons as the armor-bearer desires but can also be used to create weapons. These are very thin and very lethal, not least because they drain heat from whatever they come in contact with.

The armor also sheds "droplets" of ice that grow into small spheres and float behind the armor-bearer. They can be directed to stay behind as well but fall apart if they are left too far behind. They can be made to explode with a thought or under specific circumstances (such as when touched), or be fused together to create walls or even sentient elemental servants.

Finally, the ice can be broken into fragments and "infect" bodies of water." Splinters of ice can control small amounts of water so that, with enough ice, the bearer of the armor can control even entire lakes.

The armor's ice is almost impossible to melt, having no difficulties even in temperatures of up to eighty degrees, but proximity is important. Ice that is left behind becomes more susceptible to heat, as normal.

The armor is a means for long life, above all else. The cold feeds the armor, increasing stamina, so that in sufficiently cold circumstances the bearer doesn't have to worry about getting tired. But heat sources (that are not created by the armor) can do the same thing. It's mild temperatures, ones that are no more than "a little uncomfortable" to others, that are disadvantageous for one that wears the armor. And should the bearer of the armor die, zir body will be burnt to ashes, from which ze will be reborn on the next day. But that should generally be unnecessary, because this same regenerative quality can be made manifest with healing flames. Or, you know, the armor can just make ordinary burn-things-up flames that are much, much hotter than normal.

It can uncomfortable to be around the armor-bearer. Temperatures can be raised or lowered with little effort.

Okay. I'll be the first to admit that parts of this feel a little forced. The other two Battlemage CYOAs aren't so adversarial, so those should work out better than this one.

Friday, November 7, 2014

CYOA brainstorming: An Adventure in Time

What is this about?

Alright. This one is going to be pure fun. Hello!

Time machine: Large
Home base: Eh. Let's ignore this one, actually.
Equipment: Universal translator, gold, infinite wardrobe, two sets of futuristic armor
Mission: Magical Nazis
Companions: Socrates, H. P. Lovecraft, Jesus, Laika, Helen Keller

Well! This certainly became loads more feasible of a story than I expected. At least, I would read this thing.

So what's gone on? Well, obviously, magical Nazis. That's what's gone on. Oh, and the protagonist has been displaced by zir home time. Now ze's crossing all time and space with a few special companions. Their time machine is a few stories tall. You know, pretty big. They live in it.

And they travel across time and space in their not-a-house to fight magical Nazis that are trying to break history apart.

Socrates is an absolutely fantastic person to have aboard. Most people only remember him for his intelligence, but back in the day he was famous for his exploits in war, too. Socrates comes from a society where all the men fought, and he lived to old age.

You don't mess with Mr. -tes, is what I'm saying.

I'm going to rule that Laika has been given human intelligence. Somehow. And is a diehard Communist, of course. For the Motherland! This Nazi business is personal, mate.

The CYOA states that "like all blind people, Helen has the potential to become a formidable martial artist and sword fighter." This will be a lot of help in a temporal war against magical Nazis.

And then we've got Lovecraft and Jesus. Obvious choices, really.

I... don't know what more to say about this. Just got to say again, I would totally read this.

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

CYOA brainstorming: The Island (Candid version)

What is this?

Island CYOAs were (are?) a fad on /tg/. I know of almost a dozen, and I come across a new one every so often. The idea behind each of them is the same (you find yourself on a spooky island thing, GO) but they differ in the options that they give. They also differ in how many options you can pick before you have to start taking penalties.

This one is not particularly forgiving.

Shelter: None
Companion: The Necromancer
Artifact: The Amulet, Possessed Sword
Covenant: Abominations
Nemesis: Fear and Madness, The Other

Oh, and The Other gets some choices too, dang it:
Shelter: Gypsy Caravan
Companion: The Other (a different one), the Blackbark Faerie
Artifact: The Sarcophagus
Covenant: Island Guardians
Nemesis: The protagonist

So what have we got here?

Our protagonist has been displaced to some horrible Otherworld. It matters not whether it's an actual island or not, though we'll refer to it as such for convenience's sake. It's a very dangerous place, inhabited by all kinds of horrible things. There was apparently a magi-tech kind of civilization based here, but it's anyone's guess what happened to them.

Perhaps the Island got them. It has a will of its own, certainly. And it's out for the protagonist's blood.

To that effect it has also plucked up two of the protagonists friends. Perhaps the protagonist's appearance here is a fluke, but theirs was certainly not. They have been told that the protagonist is a very, very bad person now, and that killing zem is of the utmost importance. Letting zem live will do nobody any good, but will mean the deaths of millions.

It may hurt them to believe it, but they've been thoroughly convinced that ze's somehow gone down a bad road.

The statuesque servants of the old civilization are at their disposal. The faeries of the Island, who may be connected or have simply moved in after the original inhabitants left, are responsible for conveying the Islands orders, and one of them is accompanying the protagonist's friends to help them on their quest. They are traveling with other humans (who, unlike the faeries, are definitely latecomers to the Island), who are not noteworthy for their combat skills but know the roads of the Island. And one of them has slight precognitive abilities that should be of help.

Should they die by anyone's hand but the protagonist's, the Island will be able to revive them.

But the worst thing is... our protagonist can't be totally sure that they're wrong. The protagonist has fallen in with some potentially bad company, an amoral necromancer whose reason for tagging along is unknown, and has explained the situation to the protagonist. The necromancer is definitely not popular in these parts, though, especially among the undead (of which there are many). And... there are horrible Lovecraftian monsters that like you. Which is probably not a good sign.

Finally, the protagonist is in possession of a thinking sword. It can steadily improve the protagonist's skill over time, but it is also the source of a growing compulsion to kill. The amulet, which confers both physical and mental health, is keeping its influence at bay, but the amulet will be effective for only so long.

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

CYOA brainstorming: Undead abomination

What is this about?

Type Tinker
Seal Holy circle
Phylactery Amulet
Nemesis Merchant

I like the combination of the first two. "You tried to augment yourself with machine parts bridging the gap between living and unliving matter through necromancy," but there's something about holiness, something of Heaven or something celestial, that works against you.

So there are two questions we've got to ask here:

How does necromancy cross with machines? And what does the Celestial Power have to do with machines?

While I'm afraid that we might fall into some unfortunate implications, let's say that there's an industrial element to Hell. Necromancy and the Infernal Power go together like a charm, I guess, and it's because this is some devilish kind of machinery that holy magic works against it. Why don't we do a bit of a biopunk/cyberpunk dichotomy here, and make Heaven a genetic engineering/flesh-shaping kind of place? Like the elements of H. R. Giger's artwork got a divorce and half of them went off to Heaven and the other half to Hell, and then they both got contracts to redesign the places.

Yeah.

And our humble character made a deal with Hell to rework zir body into some half-machine thing that would never die.

Its phylactery is a small object. Let's make it a battery. The character will keep on going so long as it has power, so you have to destroy its (basically unlimited) power source. Maybe, to go beyond the bounds of the CYOA but also make things more interesting, the battery is charged by dying. It can conceivably run out, but if somebody dies in its vicinity then the character will start running again.

And some silly merchant holds the battery. For now.

Sunday, November 2, 2014

CYOA brainstorming: Domain Master

What is this all about?

Affinity Technology/Acoustics
Size class Giant
Race Monstrous/Construct
Boss perks Vitality prowess, charisma prowess, arena manipulation, phylactery, hybrid, empowerment, shapeshifting, enchanted armor, enchanted weapon, perception prowess
Minion races Humanoid, celestial 
Minion size classes Human, Colossal (only celestials)
Mooks Soldiers (100), clerics (25), slaves (50), recruiters (25)
Elites Warriors (10), craftsmen (10), agents (20), battle mages (20)
Lieutenants Chosen, Hunter
Minion perks Sustenance, training, faction
Realm perks Expansion, hidden
Complications Benevolent, whispers

Saturday, November 1, 2014

CYOA brainstorming: What is a CYOA?

I'll let 1d4chan explain CYOAs:
CYOA is an abbreviation of 'choose your own adventure.' When mentioned on 4chan, these are images that describe varied scenarios with a common theme, intended to spark discussion about the choices you would make as you describe why you feel one of the offered choices is better than the others. 
It's like that question "would you rather fight a horse-sized duck, or a flock of duck-sized horses?" except you have a dozen choices and they're all awesome.
They're a fun way to pass the time. They can also be useful for coming up with interesting ideas that you may not have had otherwise. And this month is all about practical demonstrations of that idea. Plus, while we're at it, I'm going to be archiving some of my favorite CYOAs. Two birds with one stone.

When I use a CYOA for the first time, as a genuine "If I had these options available to me, what would I do?" thought experiment, I'm usually very practical. Sometimes to a boring degree. At the very least you'll often see me pick similar power sets again and again. Here, instead, I'm going to be picking

Click on the images in each post for bigger versions.