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Adventure! RPG: Warlords of Tellus - Warlords of Tellus OOC


Jackson Creed

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Okay, so this is only the beginnings of an idea right now, but here's the gist:

Rockets ships, ray guns, swords fights, scantily clad alien princesses... what more could a chap ask for?

It starts on 21st July, 1922 - all across the Earth people start to vanish - some are lost at sea, or disappear from aircraft, others vanish when walking out alone at night. Nobody knows where they go &, as of yet, no one has realised the scope of the problem. The truth is, dear reader, stranger than fiction...

... Tellus is a world of oppression. Kingdoms of many different races squabble & bicker amongst themselves, all under the watchful eye, & iron fist, of the Emperor. It has been so for eons, perfectly balanced with nothing to topple the status quo... until the humans start to appear...

... While most are quickly enslaved, like so many other beings on Tellus, a few of the humans prove to possess an incredible quality - a will, determination, & spirit of freedom which even the electro-whips of the Imperial overseers can't seem to break. Soon the examples of a few could rally the downtrodden masses, soon the tide may turn, soon these humans could become a threat... unless they are stopped they could become the new...

... Warlords of Tellus!

*****

So, as you've probably guessed, I'm thinking about a new game inspired by the old pulp 'fantasy posing as science fiction' genre best represented by classics such as 'John Carter - Warlord of Mars' &, of course, 'Flash Gordon' (with a little of John Norman's 'Gor' series chucked in for good measure). PCs would either be humans, freshly transported from 1920's Earth, or one of the many native races of Tellus.

A core concept here would be that all human characters (& only human characters) are Daredevils, whilst specific races of Tellus are each either Mesmerists of Stalwarts by nature, each race having both common Knacks (which every member of that race possesses) & a race-specific list of further Knacks which they can develop - none would be as versatile as a human character, however.

The Tellus setting would be one of swashbuckling action-adventure - dinosaur-like beasts are in use as mounts & beasts of burden, swords & other melee weapons are common (some, like the 'electro-whip' having 'technological' improvements). Ranged weapons are comparitively rare - ray guns, for example, are Gadgets. Rocket ships (with art deco fins & a shower of sparks coming out of the rear) transport people great distances - even between Tellus & its several inhabited moons. In fact, anyone who's seen (& loved!) the 1980's Flash Gordon movie knows the sort of thing I'm aiming for here.

Well... that's the basic concept. If there's interest, & I've got time, I'll work up some more specific rules & background & stuff. Right now I'm making no promises, but this is one that's been bouncing around my head for quite some time now, & had to get out... ::wink

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The Setting:

The world of Tellus is roughly the size of Earth, although it sports less oceans & more landmass. The climate is universally hot – from pleasant Mediterranean warmth at the poles, to baking desert heat at the equator (the fact that this results in everyone wearing the skimpiest of clothes is, of course, pure coincidence ::devil ). Many different terrain types divide Tellus into regions – each ruled by one of the many native races – the deserts, grasslands, jungles, swamps, mountains, & seas each represent one or more of the many kingdoms of Tellus:

Nomadic tribes of Saurian lizard-people rule the vast deserts, constantly moving with the herds of dinosaur-like beasts. Here & there an isolated city springs up around an oasis, tall sandstone spires reaching into the heavens. The Saurians sport tan-to-brown scaled skin, vertical-slit pupils, & long whip-like tails – they are a resilient folk, immune to the oppressive desert heat, & possessed of an impressive capacity for regeneration. Saurians are egg-layers by nature &, to their dismay, Saurian eggs are considered a culinary delicacy by the more cruel & decadent nobility of the Emperor’s court.

Tellus’s grasslands are home to the Red Mystics of S’ram – a peaceful people who try to respect nature & live in harmony with the cosmos. Despite their red-hued skin, Mohawk-like plumes of hair, long pointed ears, & glittering black eyes the Children of S’ram are perhaps one of the races of Tellus physically closest to humans. Their outlook is, however, considerably more alien – their mystical awareness gives them an insight & point of view which others can’t hope to fully understand, & some manage to develop their talents to the point where they can even read minds or heal injuries!

Feline cat-folk claim the jungles as their territory, where they stalk & hunt their prey, & worship the mother goddess in hidden step pyramid temples. The Felines possess cat-like eyes, ears & faces, retractable claws on fingers & toes, tails & pelts of soft fur – as well as the natural athletic prowess & hunting instincts of their Earthly counterparts. They are people ruled by strong passions – quick to both anger & love. Feline slaves are prized as both pets & gladiators, although it is said that a Feline is never truly tamed.

The swamps are home to the Ophidian serpent-people who are secretive, dangerous, & rumoured to worship death itself. With softer, smoother, scales than the Saurians (their distant evolutionary cousins) the Ophidians also possess vertical-slit pupil eyes, although they lack the Saurians’ tail. Supple & flexible, stealthy & silent, the Ophidians have a well-deserved reputation as master infiltrators & assassins – the latter a role made all the easier by the venom they can deliver through their fanged bite. Ophidians also possess a long forked tongue & fully-developed Jacobson’s organ, as well as the ability to see heat.

Perhaps the most unusual race of Tellus rules the mountains – the Stone Men are powerful beings of living rock animated by telluric energies whose forms range from roughly humanoid shapes as craggy as the peaks where they dwell to smooth, perfectly formed, figures of marble resembling a sculpture by Rodin. Stone Men (as all are called, although some possess feminine features & are considered ‘female’) are the most physically powerful race of Tellus, able to life heavy weights & crush lesser beings with their rocky fists. They are often pressed into service as labourers (usually as slaves), although many of the Imperial Elite also like to have a Stone Man bodyguard – for the sheer intimidation value if nothing else!

Under the waves of the planet’s seas it is the Merfolk who rule – straight out of an Earth sailor’s tall tales these fish-tailed people farm vast beds of kelp & herd schools of marine life. Water-breathers, the Merfolk can’t survive out of the water for long – although their unique habitat has enabled them, in many ways, to remain the most independent of Tellus’s races (well, as independent as the Empire permits, anyway). It is rumoured that a few unusual Merfolk have somehow managed to harness strange electrical powers – but such stories are usually dismissed as simple fancy by most.

High above the planet itself orbit the three moons of Tellus – each one another kingdom of Tellus, & each inhabited by a unique race. The chilling Ice Warriors of Xan inhabit their frozen moon, whilst the deadly six-armed silk-weaving Spider Women rule the twilight moon of Arachnos, & the Fire Priests tend the sacred flames of Pyre.

Ruling over all these races are the Tyrian forces of the Emperor. The purple-hued Tyrians are found all across Tellus enforcing the dictates of Emperor K’reed the Conqueror (also known by many as K’reed the Cruel). Although most Tyrians are relatively mundane, those of royal blood possess impressive powers of command & domination – powers which have, for eons, enabled their people to rule with an iron fist. Both a symbol & tool of dominance the Imperial City is a scientific marvel – a vast fortress city of glittering towers & spires suspended in the very air itself by the wonders of telluric power! At the city’s centre is the great Imperial Palace, from which the Emperor maintains his vast holdings – the city itself moves across the face of Tellus, casting its (literal & metaphorical) shadow across the lesser kingdoms that pay homage & tribute to the Emperor. Any kingdom which steps out of line is dealt with harshly – bombardment by the Imperial City’s atomic cannons can reduce a city to rubble in a matter of minutes!

Technology:

The technology of Tellus is at once fantastically advanced, but also deceptively primitive. The basis of all technology on the planet is the telluric energy crystal – a naturally occurring resource mined by slaves all across the globe. The power of these crystals fuels such marvels as the Imperial City, orbital rocket ships, sky ships (from skiffs to barges to galleons) which ply the skyways of Tellus, lightning guns, heat rays, visi-orb remote viewers, & much more. On the other hand the people of Tellus have never developed fossil fuels, gunpowder, or explosives – land travel (& some air travel) is by means of a living mount or beast-drawn wagon, there’s no mass media, & little industrialisation (tasks which would benefit from such being instead performed by slaves). Life in most kingdoms is essentially tribal or feudal in nature, with the wonders of science supplementing, rather than replacing, traditional ways.

Society:

Under Emperor K’reed the various kingdoms of Tellus constantly vie against each other in political, military, & social actions. Raids & skirmishes are commonplace (& encourage by an Emperor who prefers to keep his subjects at each others’ throats, instead of at his own), & all-out battles are far from unheard of.

Each kingdom is ruled by those of royal blood, with the nobility & gentry under them, & finally the common folk & slaves. Slavery is a fact of life on Tellus & is accepted by everyone without any notion that it should be questioned (until, of course, some enterprising human thinks to mention abolition ::wink ). Slaves become such in several ways – many are born into slavery, others are taken in raids by rival kingdoms, whilst others are given by their own kingdoms as tribute to the Emperor – even those of royal blood are not immune to this last & there have been several occasions where a poverty stricken kingdom has offered one of their own princesses to K’reed in way of tribute (the Emperor is known to maintain a harem of legendary proportions in the Imperial Palace, made up of females from all the races of Tellus – his hedonistic appetites are second only to his cruelty in capacity).

Besides slavery there are many ways in which a modern, right-thinking, adventurer from 1920’s Earth will consider Tellus a brutal & barbaric place – for example gladiatorial games are a popular form of entertainment, & trial by combat is the right of anyone of sufficient rank.

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Are you making this great art yourself Prof?

Yeah - & thanks! ::biggrin

To be honest most of the work is done by DazStudio (from daz3d.com) & the various stuff I've downloaded from there & Renderosity (renderosity.com) - I just stick it together into a scene (although they still call guys like me 'artists' on Renderosity ::wink ). It's great to have found software which makes up for my general innate lack of artistic talent.

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Character Creation:

Characters are basically created as per the standard Adventure! rules, with a few setting-specific differences.

Human characters are transported to Tellus via the mysterious telluric mists: essentially one minute they are on Earth (always in some relatively remote location, unseen by others – such as flying a aeroplane, on-board a boat at sea, walking across the moors, etc.) when they find themselves engulfed by a sudden mist or fog. When this mist clears, they’ve arrived on the alien world of Tellus. Apart from its rather sudden appearance (& disappearance once it’s done its job) the mist seems totally natural & most presume it's just unusual weather until they discover their new location.

Most humans who arrive on Tellus are normal folk, from all walks of life & from anywhere on Earth – but a few (i.e. the PCs) possess the stuff of heroes (they’re Daredevils). Such heroes don’t suddenly ‘transform’ into Daredevils – rather they were always that way (e.g. an ‘ace pilot’ character will always have been an ace pilot, not just a good pilot who suddenly gains extra ability) – this is a little different from the usual Adventure! ‘transformation’ flavour, but doesn’t change the mechanics of character creation.

Native characters choose a race which determines their Inspired type (Stalwart or Mesmerist), the Knacks they have access to, & certain other traits. Each racial package has a cost in Transformation points which covers the basic natural abilities all members of that race possess, left over Transformation points can be spent as the player wishes (although any additional Knacks are restricted to those allowed by their racial package - in some cases these cross the usual Dynamic / Psychic boundries).

A couple of things to keep in mind:

Abilities:

Drive has pretty much no use on Tellus – ground transport is via animals (which uses the Animal Handling Ability), & technological vehicles are limited to aerial vehicles (sky cycles, sky ships, rocket packs, rocket ships, etc.) & aquatic vehicles (flying submarines & the like as well as simple boats) – both types use the Pilot Ability. Unless a character happens to have driven into the telluric mists in his own jalopy then he’s not gonna’ find much use for his wheelman skills.

Linguistics – by some cosmic coincidence spoken English is almost identical to the official Imperial language of Tellus ‘Tyrian’ (just turns of phrase & the like are different). This means that human characters should all make sure they speak English if they don’t want to suffer from lack of ability to communicate. Written Tyrian is totally different from written English, however. Each race of Tellus also has its own language (spoken & written) – different kingdoms & regions of those races may speak different dialects, but it all counts as the same language pick from a game mechanics point of view (i.e. a character who can speak the purring, growling, Feline language can talk to all Felines – even if they are from different tribes or regions of Tellus). Newly arrived humans, naturally, don’t get to have learnt any languages of Tellus before they turned up (duh! ::tongue ).

Allegiance & Backgrounds:

The first thing for a human character to decide is how long they’ve been on Tellus. Some may be newly transported & still confused to what’s going on, whilst others may have been on the planet for some time – up to a maximum of eighteen months (which is how long the telluric mists have been transporting humans to Tellus). In Earth terms the game starts in the spring or 1924 (as per the standard Adventure! setting), whilst the mists appeared 21st July 1922 (I wonder why..?).

Humans (even those who’ve been on Tellus for a while) have obviously had little or no chance to develop any local allegiances, so instead of the free dot of Backing they’d normally get for an Allegiance they receive a free dot of Cipher (to represent the fact that they are new & unknown to the locals as well). Natives will usually have an Allegiance to their home kingdom, along with the usual free dot of Backing. None of the standard Adventure! Allegiances (such the the Aeon Society or Branch 9) exist in the setting & shouldn't even be refered to in back story (in essence Earth is 'mundane' compared to the fantasy of Tellus).

Players of human characters should also note that old Earth-based Backgrounds don’t apply on Tellus (unless they’ve somehow managed to accompany them through the mists to Tellus) – a character can have a back story as a rich socialite, but still have zero Resource dots on Tellus (on the other hand, the character’s faithful hunting dog could have been with him when he was transported, so the character can keep him as a dot of Menagerie).

Allies – as per the standard rules Inspired allies cost two dots each, on Tellus this includes members of those races who all count as Inspired.

Backing – social standing (as represented by Backing) is very important on Tellus. Usually Backing applies fully to a single kingdom, but also has an effect on the character’s overall social standing on Tellus: e.g. a Prince has Backing 5 representing the fact that he’s royalty in his own kingdom, in Imperial matters or an enemy kingdom he may not be obeyed, but he’ll still be granted respect & treatment due a member of royalty.

X – The character is an outcast or slave.

● – An average citizen.

●● – Holder of office (such as a military sergeant or minor court functionary).

●●● – Member of the gentry (with the title ‘Lord’ or ‘Lady’) or military officer (such as ‘Captain’).

●●●● – Member of the titled nobility (such as a Baron, Duke, or Countess).

●●●●● – The character is royalty: a Prince or Princess.

●●●●● ● – [in Charge] The character is a King or Queen & rules their own kingdom.

Backing can often substitute for other Backgrounds such as Followers, Influence, or Resources – however, it’s important to recognise that in these cases it is the character’s social position or rank which is generating the effect, not the character themselves: e.g. a character using Backing to get past a military check point is allowed through because of their rank, whilst a character using Influence gets through because of their personal social powers; likewise underlings follow the orders of a character with Backing out of loyalty to the kingdom, whereas a character’s own Followers have a personal loyalty to the character.

Gadget – while it’s possible that a human character may have brought an Advancement (never an Innovation in this setting) from Earth, most Gadgets represent the advanced technology of Tellus – such as rocket packs, heat rays, & the like (I’ll be listing a few examples at some point). There’s also room for mysticism on Tellus (especially among the Red Mystics of S’ram, natch ::sly ) with ancient items of power (often passed down through generations of royalty or priesthood) cropping up once in a while. Certain races incorporate the equivalent of ‘medical experimentation’ advancements in the base racial package too – but that cost will be pre-figured into the package cost.

Menagerie – mundane Earth creatures (such as domestic pets or farm animals) are unknown on Tellus, replaced by local equivalents. There are many more saurian creatures prominent on Tellus than on Earth, including small bipedal chicken-like lizards called ‘Skitz’ (bred for meat & eggs), dog or pig-sized komodo-dragon-like ‘Squats’ (used for meat, but also as loyal pets & working ‘hounds’), horse-sized bipedal running dinosaurs called ‘Striders’ (the primary land mount of the setting), pterosaur-like creatures called ‘Leatherwings’ (used as flying mounts), & giant lumbering Apatosaurus-like quadrupeds known as ‘Brutes’. Earth-like exotic / wild animals exist (such as predatory cats & wolves) with minor cosmetic differences, as do such things as giant spiders, man-eating snakes, & the like. The Menagerie Background is usually only required for the character to own a creature which is not usually domesticated, or one that is unusually loyal & gifted (so it doesn’t take any dots in Menagerie to own a standard riding Strider – just some Resources). Of the usually domesticated creatures of Tellus only the Leatherwing requires this Background (two dots worth) to be used as a mount (since it requires a special bond between rider & mount to ride one).

Other Backgrounds function pretty much as normal (within the flavour of the setting) – Sanctum, Resources & the like being especially appropriate for members of royalty (of which there are many on Tellus).

I'll get to the racial packages & examples of technology & the like later, but for now I'd encourage everyone interested in the game to start discussing (in this thread) potential character concepts so that we can all bounce ideas off each other & get in the mood... ::ultracool

I may post an IC introduction soon too (so if someone with power could move the couple of OOC posts which landed on the IC thread before I'd even finished getting this OOC thread up & running that'd be great! ::biggrin ).

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This looks outstanding. Let me post my character concept as I emailed it to ProfPotts (more or less), with a minor edition to get rid of Branch 9:

I'd like to play a human Daredevil: an Irishman working as a secret agent in Russia at the time of his disappearance. He's a expert in tradecraft and dissimulation, and an expert fighter, especially with melee weapons. I'm planning for him to specialize in pickup weapons, and very high dex and melee. My idea is that specializing in improvised weapons allows him to pass through security or pass as, say, a janitor, then start kicking ass with a mop handle if that's all that's available.

I think he will have already passed through the mists and emerged in the middle of some sort of gladiator's prison in the Imperial City itself, then escaped onto the Tellus terra firma, picking up a non-human Ally and a quarterstaff/energy scythe Gadget in doing so.

Edit: Also, you'll need to get Jackson Creed to enshrine these threads in their own subfolder for you.

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I'm kind of keeping my character concepts vague at this point until there's a little more material to go off of, but I'm kind of thinking of playing as a feline. Of course, I'm also thinking of maybe playing a saurian or human as well, so I guess I'm feeling indecisive....

In any case, my character will probably be a fighter as well, but I was thinking more along the lines of a hand-to-hand combatant with a survivalist/hunter sub-theme (so there would be some melee or archery skill, but m.arts and survival would probably be the primary focus). If the character turns out to be human then he or she will most likely have already appeared on Tellus sometime before the story begins. If I play a feline or saurian they'll probably be escaped slaves or rebels or maybe just on the wrong side of the law. More to come.

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I am watching this thread with interest. This settingseems to combine many of my favorite elements. In particular those leatherwings remind me of the sky0riders from the book Dinotopia.

,,

As for what I might play, I always have a few backburner Adventure concpets lying about though Im not considering any one thing til I see all of the native race options...

,,

Good work Potts!

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Saurian

Inspiration: Dynamic

Racial Package:

Level 1 Knack Man Lizard for All Seasons

Level 3 Knack - Reptilian Regeneration

Racial Traits – Tough Scales [2/0 armour], Whip-like Tail [articulate though not prehensile – used mostly for balance & thermal regulation a skilled Saurian can use its tail for Disarm, Strike, Sweep, or Throw (trip) combat manoeuvres], Desert Hardened [+3 Stamina, even if this takes Stamina above 5 dots]

Abilities – Endurance Mastery [6 dots in Endurance], Child of the Desert [survival 2 dots + Speciality: Desert]

Transformation Point Cost: 7

Additional Permitted Knacks:

Level 1 – Superhuman Reflexes

Level 2 – Blazing Speed, Optimized Metabolism

Level 3 – Body of Bronze

Red Mystic of S’ram

Inspiration: Psychic

Racial Package:

Level 1 Knack – Telluric Resonance

Racial Traits – Mental Shield [+4 Willpower]

Abilities – Rapport Mastery [6 dots in Rapport], Mystical Heritage [1 dot each in: Awareness, Academics, Medicine, Arts, Perform]

Transformation Point Cost: 6

Additional Permitted Knacks:

Level 1 – Brain Skimming, Perfect Translation, Psychic Hand, Thermal Manipulation

Level 2 – Brainstorm, Evil Eye, Flame/Frost/Lightning Conjuration, Teledigitation, Touch of the Muses

Level 3 – Mindhammer, Slight of Will, Touch of Life

Feline

Inspiration: Dynamic

Racial Package:

Level 1 Knacks – A Single Bound, Heightened Senses

Racial Traits – Feral Agility [+2 Dexterity, even if this takes Dexterity over 5 dots], Animal Attraction [+1 Appearance & +1 Manipulation, even if this takes Traits over 5 dots], Claws [can inflict Lethal damage with Strike & Kick combat manoeuvres, +2 dice to climbing rolls]

Abilities – Athletics Mastery [6 dots in Athletics], Hunter’s Instinct [Awareness 2 dots + Speciality: Tracking], Cat’s Grace [3 dots in Stealth, 2 dots in Style]

Transformation Point Cost: 6

Additional Permitted Knacks:

Level 1 – Sex Symbol, Superhuman Reflexes

Level 2 – Blazing Speed, Blindfighter

Level 3 – Sensory Filtering, Threat Awareness

Ophidian

Inspiration: Psychic

Racial Package:

Level 2 Knack – Aetheric Vision [specifically the ability to see heat & (via forked tongue & Jacobson’s organ) ‘see’ scent trails]

Racial Traits – Venomous Bite [can bite an immobilized foe (such as one caught in a successful Hold) & inject a poison which inflicts 9 Lethal levels of damage – victim’s Resistance roll reduces this damage], Sinuous [+2 Dexterity, even if this takes Dexterity over 5 dots]

Abilities – Stealth Mastery [6 dots in Stealth], Double Jointed [Legerdemain 2 dots + Speciality: Escape Artist]

Transformation Point Cost: 5

Additional Permitted Knacks:

Level 1 – Marked Man, Cool Hand, Superhuman Reflexes

Level 2 – Cloak of Dread, Hypnotic Presence, Blazing Speed, Optimized Metabolism

Level 3 – Cloud the Mind, Indisputable Analysis

Stone Man (or Woman)

Inspiration: Dynamic

Racial Package:

Level 1 Knack – Powerlifter

Level 2 Knack – Piledriver

Racial Traits – Rock Hard [+3 Strength & + 3 Stamina, even if this takes Traits over 5 dots; 5/7 armour]

Abilities – Might Mastery [6 dots in Might]

Transformation Point Cost: 6

Additional Permitted Knacks:

Level 1 – Cool Hand, (Stone) Man for All Seasons, Telluric Resonance

Level 2 – Optimized Metabolism

Level 3 – Body of Bronze, Reptilian Regeneration

Royal Tyrian

Inspiration: Psychic

Racial Package:

Level 1 Knack – Command Voice

Racial Traits – Royal Blood [+2 Charisma, +2 Manipulation & +1 Appearance even if this takes Traits over 5 dots]

Abilities – Command Mastery [6 dots in Command], Courtly Manners [Etiquette 2 dots + Speciality: High Society]

Backgrounds – Born to Rule [3 dots each in: Backing, Influence, Reputation, Resources]

Transformation Point Cost: 7

Additional Permitted Knacks:

Level 1 – Perfect Translation, Scientific Prodigy, Sex Symbol

Level 2 – Cloak of Dread, Hypnotic Presence, Inspirational Aura, Sun Tzu’s Blessing

Level 3 – Psychic Control, Psychic Synergy

Human

Inspiration: Heroic

Racial Package:

Humans are a diverse lot, with no set racial package Traits

Transformation Point Cost: 0

Permitted Knacks:

All Heroic Knacks + Mad Scientist (taken as an equivalent Heroic Knack for the usual cost of 2 Transformation Points)

[Design note: the racial Attribute bonuses granted to some races are based on the rules for Medical Experimentation Super-Science and Advanced Gadgets, rather than straight Attribute dot purchases - this means that they come with appropriate (& usually obvious) side-effects: e.g. the tails of Saurians & Felines restrict the clothing they can wear, Stone Men sink in water, Royal Tyrians have annoyingly superior attitudes, etc. . This also means that (if it ever crops up) these characters can't benefit from further Medical Experimentation of the same type, & that (in theory) some evil genius could find a way to remove these features (though that's unlikely - unless a PC decides to get into biological warfare...)]

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Speaking of catgirl Nuku Nuku... Do you have any more pictures of Tellus races? I'd like to put one on my desktop, but unfortunately my girlfriend sees that on a regular basis and I don't know how well the bare-chested leopard girl or the bondage fun lizard girls would go over... ::sly ::wub

[And to all the teenagers who just found our forum off a Google search for "bondage fun lizard girls": welcome, but this is a roleplaying site. ::wink ]

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question Potts...since you said you basically imported the art, is that really what they look like? I expected the Saurians for example to look more lizard-manish with lizard heads or even digitigrade legs (which would be needed to make full use of the tail. However, the pics you showed were more or less human looking but with different "skins" overlaid.

Also no offense intended if thats how they are supposed to look. Its just your comment on the renderosity that made me curious...

regardless the art looks great!

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No - that's what they look like. I did the pictures myself, all I was saying was that I got the tools to do so from Daz Studio & Renderosity. Actually I think I've put up an underwater pic with a 'naga' fighting a mermaid on Renderosity - but for this game I wanted the PC races to basically be humanoid.

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Speaking of catgirl Nuku Nuku... Do you have any more pictures of Tellus races? I'd like to put one on my desktop, but unfortunately my girlfriend sees that on a regular basis and I don't know how well the bare-chested leopard girl or the bondage fun lizard girls would go over...

If you want to suggest a scene, I can always give it a shot...

[And to all the teenagers who just found our forum off a Google search for "bondage fun lizard girls": welcome, but this is a roleplaying site. ]

N, no, no... not that sort of roleplay... ::rolleyes ::sly ::wink

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That's a great idea - the basic Daz Studio is free, & there's a ton of free stuff on Renderosity (although some of it is a bit of a headache to install properly) - I'd recommend it to everyone (especially us roleplayer types who have a need for such artistic tools). Of course, once you get hooked you might find yourself buying all sorts of extras... ::biggrin

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question Potts...since you said you basically imported the art, is that really what they look like?

Hmmm... this has been bothering me a little - I feel that in my efforts to give credit where credit is due I've misrepresented programs like Daz Studio & the guys who use them. Hopefully this explains it better:

Creating art with Daz Studio (& programs like it - such as Poser) is more akin to a photographer creating art than a painter. Just like the photographer you gather the pieces you need for the project - models, clothing, props, location, lighting, etc. - & build them into a unique composition. Even though you don't create those components from scratch yourself (like a painter starting with nothing but a blank canvas, brushes & paint), most people would still call the result your own art (&, technically, I - & other Daz Studio / Poser artists - hold the copyright to the images we create & post). So to say that I 'basically imported the art' is incorrect - I used elements made by others to create my own images.

Honestly, the best way to understand it all is the check out Daz3d & Renderosity.

any particular reason?

Yeah - several actually, but (as I think I've stated elsewhere) I get really tired of having to justify my position on these things (I find it totally dampens that initial surge of creative energy which causes me to fall in love with a project in the first place). Hopefully it will suffice if I just state that I've got a pretty good concept in my head of how I want this thing to look & feel.

Of course, if anyone has other ideas I always welcome people starting new games - seeing the visions of other Storytellers is always fascinating: the more the merrier I say! ::biggrin

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Hmmm... this has been bothering me a little - I feel that in my efforts to give credit where credit is due I've misrepresented programs like Daz Studio & the guys who use them. Hopefully this explains it better:
,,

Ah! I am unfamiliar with such programs. Cool idea though! You can use it to make character pics too! How versatile is it compared with say, the Coty of Heroes character creation software?

Yeah - several actually, but (as I think I've stated elsewhere) I get really tired of having to justify my position on these things
,,

Sorry man! Wasnt trying toget all up in you grill...I was just responding to the way you made the statement "in this game I want x" It sounded like you had put some thought into it and I was just curious what that was. No offense!

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OK, here's my basic concept, which obviously will change once we all understand the setting better:

Princess Grenda has always been difficult; her father may be master of the jungle, but no one is the master of her. Her resentment of the Tyrians started when her father offered her eldest sister to Emperor's harem as a way off soothing the Imperial temper after some military blunder or gaffe in Court; the Jungle King saved face, but lost his youngest daughter's love. Since that day, she has been so outspoken that he has essentially banished her to small hunting estate deep in the jungle, far away from the ears of the Imperial spies (or so he hopes).

Grenda, with only her servants and childhood friend Haltha for company, has forced her passions into hunting; it's when she loses herself in the chase she feels most alive. She dreads the rare visits from her parents, for her mother is convinced she's wasting away and will never be married, and fusses over the state of her coat and the inevitable cuts and scratches she receives while in pursuit of prey. The chill between father and daughter is palpable; one images that it actually mighty snow in the steamy jungle. In truth, Grenda yearns for a mate, and she and Haltha have been known to engage in flights of fancy where a handsome and mysterious prince stalks out of the trees and whisks her away to his palace high in the mountains, but these childish dreams have long since lost their luster.

The young princess is a master of the hunting bow, and has learned much of the lore of the jungle from her various tutors and the small but excellent library maintained on the estate; she can identify and harvest a wide variety of medical plants and fungi, and has learned to treat small injuries and minor illnesses with them. She is also an expert hunter and tracker, and her deep black coat makes her practically invisible at night or in shadow.

How does this sound to people?

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Ah! I am unfamiliar with such programs. Cool idea though! You can use it to make character pics too! How versatile is it compared with say, the Coty of Heroes character creation software?

Infinitely more versatile, although it does, as you might expect, take a little more commitment to get the end result you want. Daz Studio models are used for professional projects the world over - you've probably seen tons, just not known it!

My favourite bit about CoH was always the character generator, but now I've found DS the sky's the limit! ::wink

How does this sound to people?

Purrrfect! ::cool Just the sort of thing that I picture for this series.

PS: Note - kitty has learned a little modesty... ::tongue

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Hey Prof,

I'm considering making a Stoneman bodyguard to Princess Grenda appointed by her father. (presumably under orders to watch her and make sur she doesn't get knocked up by peasants and the like)

I was just wondering if you had any details on Stoneman birth and whatnot...should I play one like a sort of construct?

P.S. "Fists of Stone" is noticeably missing from the start package or available knacks...

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Hey Potts! Was wondering if you were going to post up packages for those other races living on the moon or even the merfolk if they are playable...

So far my favorite non-human races that you have posted are the Saurians Stone Men and Mystics. I did notice someone else liked the stone men too and Im not sure if you will allow multiples of one race or if that would count, as Phoenix says, as stepping on one's toes...

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I was just wondering if you had any details on Stoneman birth and whatnot...should I play one like a sort of construct?

I actually worked out a whole thing on Stone Man reproduction years ago (when they were just an idea for a race bouncing around my head & not tied to any specific game). In essence two Stone People get together & share / blend a portion of their own animating energy which they then infuse into an appropriate lump of rock (could be almost any type - hence the differences in appearance between Stone Men). That rock then becomes an embyonic Stone Person, drawing in telluric energy & growing until it 'hatches' some time later into a miniture Stone Person who then grows up...

In character I'd say that a Stone Man was more like an elemental than a construct - they're 'natural' beings rather than 'golems'. Of course any individual can have any personality - there's as much variety as there is among other beings.

P.S. "Fists of Stone" is noticeably missing from the start package or available knacks...

Right - that's 'cos a) I wanted Heroic Knacks to be unique to humans, & B) extra damage & bonuses on Might dice pools are pretty much covered by Powerlifter & Piledriver (& that hefty bonus Strength for being made out of rock...)

I installed DAZStudio and joined Renderosity. What downloads are you using to create these characters?

Let's see, on this last one... the base models are two Michael 3s & two Victoria 3s (both available for free download from Daz) - your bread 'n' butter models. The background was from Renderosity freestuff (in the: 2D - Backgrounds section). The wall prop is another Daz freebie from their site. The female clothing, I think, is all freebies from Renderosity freestuff (& linked sites). The human's trousers & boots are from a purchased Nazi uniform (from BAT labs IIRC) - Renderosity marketplace - with different textures applied. His skin map I think I brought from the Renderosity marketplace too. Sword was a freebie from Daz. Gun is a free 'Jango Fett' pistol from Vanishing Point (linked from the Renderosity site), modified by me with a few primatives (basic shapes) & re-texturing. The Stone Man's texture is just a stone texture I swiped off one of a zillion sites offering textures (go for 'seamless tiling' textures in most cases). Oh, & the characters all also utilise their relevant head & body morph packages (purchased from Daz). Phew!

My advice is to experiment a bit, then trawl through the various free download stuff when you find something you need which you haven't got. Eventually you'll probably want to start purchasing bits & pieces to suppliment the library of stuff which will be slowly taking over your system's memory... Daz & Renderosity both have some tutorials & stuff, & I've found the communities friendly & helpful. Oh, & read the pdf. handbook that comes with Daz (i.e. the instructions) - it's a little out of date in a couple of places (e.g. the D-form tool isn't a part of the free DS any more, but is a cheap purchase) but pretty much tells you everything you need to know.

Play around, have fun - I've found it very much a 'learn by doing' sort of a thing - & I'm very much still a beginner myself.

Any more info on the Ophidians would be great (ie. are they kind of like ninja clans, hired assassins, etc).

Yeah - I was thinking 'Ninja clan'-ish (or rather, generic semi-mystical assassin types). Obviously not every Ophidian is an assassin - it's just that all the best assassins are Ophidians... ::sly Thinking 'Ninja clan' is actually probably a pretty good way to look at it - secret techniques not to be revealed to outsiders, spy & assassination jobs, stealth & quick kills over in-your-face confrontation, all that sort of stuff, yeah. They've also got a healthy respect for Death (with a capital 'D') as a cosmic force - which is why everyone thinks they worship Death (in a way they kinda' do).

Oh - the Ophidians are egg-layers too (like the Saurians) - it's just that no-one in their right mind would eat an Ophidian egg ('cos they're poisonous). That also means that if your character happens to die by being eaten alive then at least you get some measure of final revenge on the guy ('cos you're poisonous too)... ::devil

Physically Ophidians get to come in a variety of shades & patterns - which are dictated by tribe & area of origin - anything 'snakey'. They're also more snake-hipped than Ricky Martin (they can move like Shakira!) - natural 'double-jointed' contortionists.

Oh... & most people are probably a little creeped out by them...

By the way - I'm loving this idea of so many characters being already linked together - great concepts guys! ::biggrin

Hey Potts! Was wondering if you were going to post up packages for those other races living on the moon or even the merfolk if they are playable...

Argh - sorry, I was gonna' talk about this, but it totally slipped my mind (thanks for the reminder)! No, the posted races are the only available PC races - the Merfolk & moon-people are NPC races only.

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Right - I've posted a foreward (adventure serial style, natch ::wink ) & an opening scene so that players have an idea of what they'll be getting into.

The opening scene is in the audience chamber of the Imperial Palace & there's enough people there so that pretty much any PC should be able to have a reason for being there (either as a guest, part of a retinue, or - for lowly human types especially - as one of the more 'promising' slaves).

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