Seventy years ago. The day the world died.
An affliction overtook the world. Power at a parasitic price. A new breed of humanity had emerged, humans infected by strange organ-like growths— Crests— that granted powers and corrupted the body. This emergence shook the balance of the world, and the world went to war.
The year is 2090. The conflict had long since ended, and humanity’s numbers have devastated by war, congregating on their last bastions of survival, the few remaining hospitable regions left in the world. The Sectors.
Of course, the war never truly ended. It only changed. Instead, the war continues through covert means— political machinations and terrorist attacks, mass surveillance and media control— and it rages on, organizations of all ideologies struggling for control. Under the veil of peace and the banner of restoration, humans and Espers continue their battle for dominance in the underground, a war to decide the future of a species.
You are a Knight: an advanced class of Esper who has survived your awakening, seizing control of your powers, overpowering the parasite. It matters not how you became an Esper, be it through natural mutation or artificial creation; or why you fight, be it for power, pleasure, or an ideal to protect.
The King cries out,
“Was the power worth the price?”
The Premise
Yes, we're doing this again.
For those who weren't here last time, this is a reboot of a cyberpunk superpower RP, taking place in an original setting, based off a whole slew of of anime and games: Nasuverse, Darker than Black, Tokyo Ghoul, Ghost in the Shell, Psycho Pass, K Project, Deus Ex, and so on. The gameplay itself will mostly be a mix of PvP and PvE, though it wouldn’t be entirely combat focused, and stealth and social approaches are also viable. Compared to last time, it'll be a lot more free form.
Many of the setting details remain similar, though things have been elaborated on or streamlined. Copy-pasting the general setting info from last time:
For character creation details, and more setting information, see the Rulebook.The setting itself revolves around Espers— this world’s flavor of superhuman. Espers are beings infected by parasitic pseudo-nervous systems called Crests, that add to and alter the functions of the body: setting it ablaze, hardening it steel, allowing for the control of water, and so on. You play as a Knight, an advanced class of Esper who can manifest a weapon called a Regalia.
While the rulebook does elaborate on the properties of Crests and Espers, I’ll abridge the main points here:
- The Crest is essentially an organ, and can be transplanted, grafted, and surgically removed.
- Espers can consume the Crest of other Espers, to absorb their powers or to increase their own. This is the primary way for Espers to increase their powers.
- The Crest corrupts and consumes the body— an affliction known as Blight— which strengthens the Crest, but in turn drives the host to insanity, until they are turned into a monster.
- As for powers, you choose from a selection of basic varieties, called Strains, to pull off more complex actions. For example, if you wanted to shoot blades like a railgun, you could do so by using a basic metal manipulation and electricity manipulation Strains in tandem.
- The one thing that does make Espers unique from each other is that they can manifest an extension of their body based on their psyche, called a Regalia. This can be a weapon like a blade or arm cannon, or other things like wings, exoskeletons, visors, and so on.
- There are thirteen powerful Espers known as the Kings, who can infect other humans with their Crest. You can choose to be subject to a King, and in exchange for your loyalty, you gain a portion of their power, though your body and mind are left at the King's mercy.
As for the world, the game takes place in a war torn Earth, in which the world was torn apart in a war between Espers and Humans. Much of the Earth has been left uninhabitable, and the remnants of humanity have congregated into city-states, called Sanctuaries. Sector One, the first Sanctuary and the forefront of humanity's reconstruction, is located in what used to be the Nile Delta, a former warzone turned shining metropolis. While the war has formally ended, Espers and Humans fight for dominance in the underground.
Changelog
Or: What changed from last time?
The changes were mostly systematic ones, reducing most of the numbers to ranks, and cutting out as much convoluted or extraneous stuff as I could. Thus, the game itself would be much more freeform from before, and will require much less book-keeping. To list a few things:
- Attributes, rather than being based on numbers, are now ranks
- Instead of HP and Blight being numbered values, they're more like ranks or stages. For example, stages of Blighting, or "you can take X many Wounds before going down"
- Strain EXP and leveling has been cut
- Rather than the body-map system used before, Crest Compositions now use a simplified system in which a limited number of Strains can be taken
- Talents are separated from Perks, and have their own, elaborated section
- Perks are now bought with points, and you may mix and match perks as you please
- Rather than having an unlimited amount of skills, you now get a limited amount of general "functions" you're familiar with, akin to the Corollaries from Crystallum
- The number of factions has been reduced from seven to three, but factions are a lot more general now, and players may make subfactions as they please. For example, the Bureau and Purists are considered subfactions of the Sector, and the Empire and Liberation Front are considered subfactions of the Underworld
- Some details on the Kings have been expanded on
Applying
See the rulebook for details on character creation, make your sheet according to the template, and PM it to me. There are sheet templates as well as some example sheets on the bottom. If you need help creating your character or finding a way to fit it to the system, you can ask me for help. If you show me your sheet early, I will only give you honest, blunt feedback if you ask for it; otherwise, I will refrain from making comments.
I will accept six people, two from each major faction. Sheets will mostly be chosen based on quality and how interesting I find them: character backstory, powersets, and so on. I will also try get in players who aren't in any other active RPs.
The application deadline will probably be in two weeks, 7/23, though I can extend if circumstances allow, or if interest peters off and we get enough players, we can start early. If you have questions, I'm available over Discord, IRC (#regalia), or plain old BL PMs. Don't message me on Skype, I will not see it.
Sector Slots:
- Plue, as ARBALEST
- Lace, as EGLANTINE
Underworld Slots:
- Frantic, as 2D
- Prix, as LILITH
Independent Slots:
- Bloble, as VIDOFNIR
- Katie, as PENANCE
Sheets received
Q&A
Q: How many sheets can I send?
A: As many as you like. I'll only pick one though.
Q: Can I submit NPC Sheets?
A: If you like. These will be much more likely to get in, but I'll have to approve of them first, and I may or may not use them.
Q: How many Strains can I have in a single part of the body?
A: As many as you wish. The maximum amount is determined by the substrain cap.
Q: Can I resubmit characters from last time?
A: Yes. Be sure to adapt your previous system to the current one.
Q: If I got in last time, will I get in now?
A: No guarantees. What might've worked last time might not work now. Similarly, just because you didn't get in last time, doesn't mean the idea won't work now. Plue come back please forgive me
Q: What does the Symbiotics talent do?
A: Taking a talent in Symbiotics is not required to be proficient in the use of your Crest, unlike the other talents. Instead, it indicates exceptional talent with certain aspects of controlling your Crest, be it a certain Function that you're the most talented at, or things like resisting or controlling Blight.
Q: How does allocating Strains to body parts work?
A: You can allocate multiple Strains to a single body part: for example, putting multiple substrains in your head or arms. Also, a single substrain can correlate to multiple body parts: for example, you can allocate a single substrain to both of your arms, or both your legs, instead of needing to take a substrain per limb.
Originally Posted by Dullahan
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