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 Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2009 12:58 am
Welcome all who venture here. What I need is feedback on an idea I have that will be the central system upon which an entire roleplay will be based. I'm going to try and be as limited with information as I can now, simply for intrigue's sake. Naturally, I expect (nay, DEMAND) you to question its functionality. Also naturally, I expect those who wish to comment to accept the fact that there's a fair deal of pseudoscience involved. Now onto the idea:
Since the beginning of time, various humans have been birthed with the ability to manipulate the world around them through the power of their own chi (or whatever they choose to call it). The gene unlocking this aptitude is linked directly to other genes that control variations in aesthetic physical structure. Thus what may be influenced will vary according to ethnic backgrounds. Thus far, I have chosen to form six "tribes." Each tribe may manipulate a specific element of the Universe. So, this roleplay will be most similar to elemental roleplays, but I'm going a much more pseudoscientific route to explain the occurrence. It isn't just MAGICK. You'll have to excuse my limited understanding of genetics and anything else that may impinge on this theory, but feel free to point it out and explain my lacking. Back to the tribes:
The Ignisians manipulate energy and plasma. The Solisas manipulate the focus of light (and thus shadow). Quarusas may manipulate any fluid. Demeusas may manipulate gravity. The Guials may manipulate chemical & physical properties of Earth's many solid elements. Lastly, the Naerals manipulate the movement of gaseous particles. Now, the implications of this life force:
The Soul. Chi. Will. Auras. Different philosophies have given it different names, but regardless of what you call it, it exists. What's more, it's both the greatest weapon and greatest defense among those who can manipulate the Universe itself. This life force (which I will henceforth use Universally and synonymously with the terms listed above) is tethered to a sentient creature, and acts as a sphere of influence and protection. I bend the definition of sentient here to mean any creature that has a mind and through it may act & adapt to the world. Thus plants would be considered non-sentient. Being still alive, I would classify them as systematic creatures, incapable of defying their basic routine. This explanation is admittedly debatable, but it'll have to do for now until I've worked out all the kinks.
Back to the life force. With the proper genetic code and thorough understanding, it may be used a source of energy to manipulate the world according to the genetic limitations (defined by the tribes). As it is bound to a body, constantly flowing throughout it, this life force has the greatest amount of influence when used to manipulate the body itself, and doing so comes at almost zero cost. This constant bond also nullifies any attempts benders (those that can manipulate the Universe) may make to directly effect any other sentient creature, regardless of whether or not it is also a bender. That is, you cannot stop the blood from flowing within another creature's body, increase its gravity so greatly that it crushes itself, nor pull the air from its lungs to suffocate it. There is also a small amount of "radiation" from this life force that extends no more than an inch from the body, and fluctuates by tenths of an inch; it will never become less than half an inch in its spread, except for times of great stress.
Like I said, this life force, present in all sentient creatures, can be used as an energy source to facilitate alterations in Reality: bending, to use the Nickelodeon show's term (which I find applies much more directly to my version of manipulation than theirs). However, doing so comes at a very direct cost. The chi is, in a metaphysical sense of the word, torn from the body to reach out and bend whatever happens to be the manipulator's target. This tearing can and does manifest itself physically, and thus creates limits on what a person can do. In my "history," there have been records of benders being literally torn to giblets because they attempted such epic feats.
This leads us to the Scale Of Difficulty. My shortest method of describing this was to say, "The less likely the desired result is to happen naturally, the more difficult it becomes." So, to thoroughly define the scaling without extensive discussion, it can be simplified to a few basic facets: quantity, magnitude, duration, and naturalness (which I didn't realize was a word until I typed it). The more you try to influence, the greater the difficulty. As the degree to which you desire to alter it, the greater the difficulty. The longer, the more stressful. The less likely it occurs without manipulation, the more chi will be required.
Again, I simply wished to describe the idea in its simplest form, and I'm looking for help in working out any problems I may have overlooked or kinks that still exist due to my ignorance. Once I feel its properly ironed out, I may very well create the roleplay!
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Posted: Tue Oct 20, 2009 7:12 am
Hmmmm. All right now.
Basic idea seems kinda cliche. Nothing against the cliche, and certainly nothing against your idea here; your "elements" certainly piqued my interest as I read them. That said, commenting on the originality of the RP will be reserved until the more defined premise and limits are set. Thus far, looks pretty solid there.
You asked for comments on the workability. At this point, the workability seems fine to me (though the stickler Caballers (read: Alex) will probably have something to say). However, as with most things, the kinks and non-working parts don't appear until you try to get into the nuances (a struggle Bayer and I are beginning to meet in Project: EDEN.)
Final commentary is that it looks pretty solid for now, but I'd like to see it fleshed out more in order to get a better and more complete criticism.
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Posted: Tue Oct 20, 2009 9:40 pm
Seeing as how I've felt confident in answering all questions thus far, I'll be adding in the rest shortly. Thanks Joe, and all those who supplied input.
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Posted: Wed Nov 04, 2009 8:58 pm
This is a great idea. I've been teetering on the same kind of ideal for the past year, but what I came up with related to unlocking such powers through meditation/mental fortitude. Of course, I wasn't going to write an RP thread, I was thinking more along the lines of a book. (I'm not claiming your idea as my own, just mentioning that I have had a similar one myself).
I had also thought about how the powers would manifest. I continually drew up images of Avatar and Dragonball Z in my ideal, but I must say that having each "tribe" wielding a certain element gives a lot more depth and clarity than all "tribes" using the same kind of powers. Having tribes that relate to different ethnic backgrounds means than you will also have some hybrids in the story, which is always good for an overpowered villain.
If there was one thing that might be added to solidify the story, I would say you need a "trigger". Something that triggered the genes in people's bodies to come alive, such as a near death experience or entering the 3rd phase of subconsciousness. (This falls back heavily on my ideal of unlocking power through deep meditation).
This will be one hell of a roleplay, I hope its successful. Sign me up when its done, for sure.
~ Cpt. Dflare
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