[Guide] TBO RP System [V1 - No Longer In Use]

[Lorika]

Explanation of the Roleplaying System Here at the Benevolent Order

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Table of Contents

Basic Principles:

[sysbas]

Skill Pools:

[syspools]

Combat and Rolling:

[sysrol]

Ranking System:

[sysrank]

Questions/Criticisms:

[sysques]

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When we set out to design a system for roleplaying, we wanted to create something that was different to most roleplays on Gaia; something that would pave the way towards creating our own world and events within the guild. Creating a system that allowed for both fun and structure, balanced characters with noone at an advantage or a disadvantage that would remain satisfying in the long term proved to be quite a challenge. However, with some experienced rpers and gamers on our side we managed to come up with some things we hope you will enjoy.

I pretty much summed up my aims in a conversation with Kamika:

Lorika

I just want the system to be basically something that expands upon the traditional ways of doing things and allows for more options while also unifying and providing a structure for the community.

If you try to take too much in at once it can become overwhelming, so I'm going to try and break it down into little chunks.


I WOULD LIKE TO STATE THAT THESE ARE THE RULES FOR THE OFFICIAL AND ALL RELATED RPS. Unofficial RPs are acceptable, but we think you'll like the system so much that you'll definitely want to try it out! RPS WHICH TAKE OFFICIAL RULES MUST BE MARKED WITH THE [O] TAG. Unofficial ones may be marked with [UN], but it is not compulsory.

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Basic Principles of the System:

[sysbas]


1. Your characters are not plucked out of thin air.

That is to say, there is a format you must follow when creating your character, similar to D&D or White Wolf style character creation. This is nothing to be afraid of - it's just a simple form you can fill in at your leisure. 4laugh



2. Your characters are not born with the powers of She-Ra.

Everyone starts off on an even footing. This is called the ranking system. I will explain this system further on - for now, all you need to know is that everyone begins on the bottom rung of a ladder with few to no powers at all.



3. Your development is based on time spent training and, potentially, the actions you take during a roleplay.

The development system is based on skill pools. These are a little bit like a Class in a traditional RPG, because they give you sets of skills to choose from. Depending on the difficulty level of the skill it may take a long time or a short time to train your character in it. Depending on how you rp, how often you rp or if you manage to do something significant while rping you may be rewarded with extra skills or a reduced amount of time required to learn certain skills. Again, I'll launch into a detailed explanation in a minute.



4. Posting a character profile thread based on the provided form is necessary.

This allows everyone, mods included, to be able to keep track of their friends' progression, and of course for you to easily maintain your own!


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[Lorika]

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[syspools]

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PART 1:

Skill Pools and Skills


Skill pools are basically the term for an area in which your character may become proficient. The three basic skill pools are:

Spellcasting

Spiritualism

Combat

(Please click the links for in-depth detail on each pool.)

***** As you progress, you will gain access to pools with more advanced skills. There are in total three layers of pools: basic, intermediate and advanced. The basic pool is the one you begin with - Spellcasting, Combat or Spiritualism. Once you complete it (it has five levels), your opportunities branch out and you may specialise in an Intermediate field. These have three levels, with each level having a large number of skills which you can choose from. The same system as Intermediate applies for the Advanced skill pools, where you may specialise even further. *****

This helpful diagram should explain things more clearly:

A Path is the steps you take in order to develop your character. For example, a Path you have mastered would be Level 1 Spellcasting ------ Level 3 Illusion. You work your way through a Path by:

Step 1: Completing the Basic skill pool (5 levels).
Step 2: Completing the Intermediate skill pool (3 levels; 2 skills from each).
Step 3: Completing the Advanced skill pool (3 levels; 1 skill from each).


THE INFORMATION ABOVE REFLECTS THE IMPORTANT CHANGE TO THE SYSTEM - WHEREAS IN THE BEGINNING YOU WERE ALLOWED TO TAKE AS MANY SKILLS AS YOU WANTED YOU ARE NOW CONFINED TO THE MINIMUM NUMBER OF SKILLS. SO CHOOSE CAREFULLY!


Once you have completed a Path, you are said to have mastered it. ***** Once you have mastered it, you may begin creating your own skills based on the restrictions of the Path you have chosen - for example, a person who took the above path through Arcanumancy would need to create neutral/energy-based spells. *****

Note that Spiritualism is special, as it contains an extra advanced skill pool and there is no opportunity for specialising.

It will take a while to master a path, though. About two and a half months worth of days, by my calculations.

This is how I worked it out:

Lorika

Basic skill pool training time:

Level 1-2: 1 day
Level 2-3: 2 days
Level 3-4: 4 days
Level 4-5: 8 days

= 15 days

Intermediate skill pool training time:

Level 1 skills: 2 days each, x 2
Level 2 skills: 4 days each, x 2
Level 3 skills: 8 days each, x 2

= 28 days

Advanced skill pool training time:

Level 1 skills: 4 days each
Level 2 skills: 8 days each
Level 3 skills: 16 days each

= 28 days

TOTAL = 71 days/30 = 2.4 months.

Note that spiritualism is once again different, and so you'd better check the page on it for information.

Also, one of the cool thing is you can learn skills in pools beyond Basic in any order! Isn't that awesome?!

It must also be noted that you aren't confined to a single Path once you begin it, and can learn any other skills from a pool at any time as long as that pool is unlocked to you. This ability to learn a wide variety of skills comes into play with the ranking system, which I shall explain in detail later.

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So what are skills, what do they do, and how do we obtain them?

Skills are, quite simply, cool things your character can do. Skills have a range of effects, all of which can be found detailed in each pool's thread. (Just in case you can't be bothered to scroll up, the links are here, here, and here.)

Skills can be used both inside and outside of combat in order to achieve a variety of outcomes - for example, the skill Knock could be used to break open a stubborn lock, but it could also be used to momentarily daze an enemy.

(Oh, oh! And none of that anime-esque screaming of skill names. Just "mutter a quiet incantation" or something, while still making it clear what you're going to do by writing the name of the skill in brackets after the main post. I mean, unless you really WANT to go around screaming random words at the top of your voice. Then by all means, go ahead. (BAPP.) emo

For example:

Neige Wraithdancer

The necromancer smirked.

"On the contrary, my dear. I'd rather see you hanged."

She reached out a hand, and a swirling mist of insects appeared from nowhere. They began to crawl on Jimbob's body, swarming around him, crawling in his ears, his mouth; blinding and disorienting him.

[Plague]

To obtain a new skill in your area, you must state your intention in the thread dedicated to your field, or you can even PM the thread's moderator if you want. You do this quite simply by stating the pool, level and skill name you wish to learn. For example:

Quote:

Illusion

Level 3

Conjure Illusion.

Then you just have to make sure you wait a few days before you use the skill. (We won't be strict on this - once you're training a skill you've basically got it anyway. Just don't use any you aren't training or haven't trained!)


The threads and moderators dedicated to fields are as follows:

The Training Grounds - Combat arena; Captain Jessie Hawk The training grounds are actually moderated by me now!

The Sanctuary - Spiritualist meditation room; Lorika

The Practise Hall - Mages' instruction rooms; Panda Of The Twilight

It's down to you to update your character sheet with all new levels and skills gained.

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[Lorika]

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[sysrol]

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At this point, I should probably give an explanation of combat.

Combat is not a crucial part of the system; it is, however, one of the opportunities created for us by it.

In combat you must be careful not to predict or dictate other people's movements. You must be sure to act as if this is occurring spontaneously in a real battle in real life. ...It is, therefore, just like regular rping.



The only real aspect of combat I need to explain is rolling.

Rolling

Rolling is a concept originating from tabletop rpgs.

It is an event which occurs whenever some factor that is beyond your control occurs during the roleplay. When an aggressive action occurs, such as the firing of an arrow or a spell meant to freeze you in place, it isn't down to either player to decide whether or not it works - it's down to chance, just like in real life.

Passive abilities, such as invisibility or conjuring light or food, do not take rolls. ***** Certain skills will give you a boost to your power when it comes to certain kinds of rolls; for example, rolls when attacking with a blade, which will give you, say, an automatic +1 to your roll when attacking with a blade. ***** In these cases you must state your bonus at the end of your post so that everyone knows to add a number to the roll.

Rolls are always done by the aggressive party. This is because on Gaia it is impossible to see your number before you post it. If the aggressee were to roll, they'd have to post and then edit it before they knew how to react to your action. That doesn't create a very good flow, does it?

***** The only exception to this rule is when facing Illusion skills. Because of their mind-altering nature, it is down to the person the skill is used upon to roll in order to escape its effects. *****

How do I roll?

Look to the right of your Post Style dropdown menu. You'll see another dropdown menu named "Post Action". When you click it you'll see the option to roll a dice or produce a random number - rolling a dice is the one you want. Enter a 1 into the box for the number of dice you want to roll, and select from the dropdown menu on the left a 6 sided dice (let's keep it simple!).

What does the number I get mean?

It's very simple:

If you get a one (1) or a two (2), your action fails miserably.

If you get a three (3) or a four (4), your action experiences a degree of success.

If you get a five (5) or a six (6), your action is successful.

Let's witness three different scenarios during a roleplay.

Scenario #1: ROLL FAILURE.

Ash Ketchum

Pikachu, use Thunderbolt on Bulbasaur!

[Ash rolls a 1.]

Bulbasaur

(The pokemon watches in bemusement as the electric rat turns and shocks its own owner.)

Scenario #2: ROLL... SUCCESS?

Ash Ketchum

Pikachu, use Thunderbolt on Bulbasaur!

[Ash rolls a 4.]

Bulbasaur

(The pokemon is able to dodge away from the initial blast, but a stray bolt of electricity catches it and it slumps to the ground, momentarily dazed.)

Scenario #3: ROLL SUCCESS! WOOT!

Ash Ketchum

Pikachu, use Thunderbolt on Bulbasaur!

[Ash rolls a 5.]

Bulbasaur

(The pokemon gets a face full of electric rat juice. It cries out in agony and staggers forward when the wave ends, semi-paralysed by the shock.)

What can we learn from those three examples?

1. The aggressor never changed his action. The difference came not from what he did, but what he got when he rolled. It was down to the person being attacked to react to the situation - his success or failure.

2. It's easy to go overboard with your reactions, so you must think carefully about what you do and base your actions on your situation. For example, I was tempted to KO the Bulbasaur after the successful shock - however, if this was the beginning of a battle it would be unlikely to be drained enough for that yet. Use your own judgement!

3. Characters in Pokemon have the most stupid names ever.



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Here's something I neglected to consider when the system was originally released:

CHARACTER DEATHS

The Infamous Lorika

* Do we HAVE to die? REALLY?

Well, if there isn't any lethal force or weapons involved - if you character is simply fatigued or has taken one too many blows/spells - you MAY simply fall unconscious. I figure that this can then be healed with time or a healing/nursing spell.

* Under what situations will a character die?

Since HP bars are a complexity I wish to avoid, it's basically down to user discretion. Getting cut right up and losing blood isn't a good way to stay alive, dude. Weak characters with only a few skills will die more easily than those with more skills, because more skills = more stamina, more energy to draw upon. However, in certain situations even the death of a highly skilled character will be inescapable. You ever tried walking round with a greatsword stuck out of your head, or no head at all? Yeah. S'not guud. If you get run through or start losing limbs, you could always be saved by Heal Deadly Wounds, but if that doesn't happen... sorry, kiddo. Welcome to the afterlife.

* AFTERLIFE?!

Just kidding. No, a character who dies won't remain dead forever. As of the rp's release I haven't provided a means by which dead characters can be brought back to life, but I suppose the simplest way for me to counter this is by adding a Resurrection skill to the Spiritualism pool. And another idea that has come to my mind is granting characters one-time immunity to death; like a token you can use to avoid dying, upon death (e.g, the totem you carry with you in Hordes of the Underdark). This is just an idea, and if it's implemented at all it will ONLY happen once the Overseer has returned to us. So don't get too excited just yet!

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[Lorika]

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[sysrank]

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RANKING SYSTEM IS BROKEN, WILL FIX SOMETIME SOON

Stuffs is removed while I works on it ;3;

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[Lorika]

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[sysques]

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Questions/Criticisms:

1. Don't you think that this system is a little too combat-based?

I don't think so. If you look up a game called Graal and enter the Valikorlia RP server, you'll find that they have a similar system. However, ours is much simpler and, trust me, FAR less time consuming. Ohyeah. You heard me right.


2. You didn't answer my question. Don't you think it's a little too combat-based?

Once again, I don't think so. The spells and skills you can use once you've learned them aren't just for battles, and actual BATTLE battles won't be a regular occurrence.


3. What do you mean by BATTLE battles?

Well, the plan is for mods to have the ability to throw in an enemy at certain points during the story. During certain events, the focus may be on taking down a big enemy to bring us one step closer to our goal.


4. What's our goal?

Information on that would be in this thread. biggrin


5. So... we aren't allowed to PvP? Do we have to PvE? (Lmao, mods count as Environment X3)

RPers can spar against eachother if they choose. They can make tournaments... or they can concentrate on contributing to whatever story we have going at the time, or they can go off and make friends and play their own little stories out with them. The system may seem demanding, but really if you want to learn a skill all you have to do is make one measly little post and then remember to wait a while before using it. The system isn't constraining. All we ask you to do is stick by our guidelines if you want to participate in the main Guild RP and all related threads, because it means everyone is on the same foot.


6. Are we allowed to post OOC (Out of Character) in threads?

Yes, speaking OOC is perfectly acceptable, as long as you make it clear that you are not IC (in character) in whichever way you choose. For example, "Ferdinand Bladebeard glanced around and laughed cruelly, a malicious twinkle in his eye. [OOC: I LIKE PICKLES.]"


7. I don't get any of this stuff!!!

I'm sorry D; I tried to make it as clear as possible... more detailed information can be found in the threads I linked up there, or you're very welcome to post your questions here or PM me personally. The thread isn't locked for a reason.


8. Did you have to make it so time consuming?

It's not time consuming, really o__O All you have to do is post what you want to do and then wait a few days while your character does it.


9. A FEW days?!

Yeah, well, how would you feel if everyone started with a character one day and the next week they were powerful enough to squish you with their little finger? Real life doesn't work that way, and good rps don't either. It isn't really based on TIME - time just determines when your character is ready to use new skills - it's based on ACTIVITY. If you're active, you may even get bonuses, like being bumped up a level minus waiting time! In addition, the Weapon Master skill Instructor will slash a day off another person's learning time - though a single person with this skill can only use it once per other character. Blech, that came out all wrong - basically, if Nii wanted to use it on Erik after she'd already used it once on him, she couldn't. If she wanted to use it on Nico, she could, but never again.


10. What conditions need to be in place to get bumped up or have your waiting time slashed down?

It's down to mod discretion, really. However, there are rough guidelines - if you rp in one of the training threads with another person or the trainer, you may get a reward based on your efforts towards advancing. If you rp consistently, or end up making a critical decision during the storyline, you may also get rewarded. Mods, there's a danger here of being too kind, and a danger of being too unresponsive to effort. We need to find a balance.


11. What if that balance isn't found?

What do you mean?


12. Well, let's say combat characters end up outpacing other characters greatly...

Ah, I get you. There's something wrong there, isn't there? But it's not the fault of the characters - it's the fault of the mod who bumped them. If anything like that were to happen I'd feel compelled to instigate a rollback on that pool, which would just be messy and time-consuming. So for the sake of everyone I hope none of us are too kind!

13. Okay, so this system basically neglects the existence of SIN rpers. What's up with that?

You're right, and I apologise to all SIN members who wished to remain on the dark side! First of all, from a story point of view, it doesn't make much sense as of yet if we have SIN members running around, since we're basically BOO in hiding. Secondly, from a system standpoint, SIN would need a completely different ranking system and different skill pools. It's just too much work for me right now; I'd prefer to get everything BOO up first, and then concentrate on SIN when things develop. SIN-BOO converts, however, are completely accounted for, and may even have more options when the SIN system comes out! Who knows?

14. So explain to me how we're supposed to RP with all the different threads floating around. Are ALL the Official threads contributory to the storyline, or just the, uh.. "Official" official thread?

They're all contributory. I expect the moderators of their threads to update me on any important developments. I'll be keeping a tally of what's going on in the "Official" official thread (i.e, the thread that contains the overall Setting - this thread). If you want, you can update people on your own personal happenings via your character thread. The basic distinction between class-related threads and the overall thread is that the class related threads are aimed towards the development of a person's skills and interaction with characters who are, let's say... in the same boat as you! I toyed with the idea of making threads for every single location available to the Order, but then decided that there was too much hopping around from thread to thread involved for that. Let's just say if, during the course of an RP in the Practise Hall, you end up travelling to the Combat fields - stay in the same thread. Unless you realise that your rp has strayed from the original topic and you decide by mutual agreement to move to the Official Thread; this is also completely acceptable. I suppose you can just think of the Official thread as a GENERAL rp, whereas the class-specific threads are geared towards people training the same skill pools as you.

(I shouldn't need to say again that in order to train a skill you must state your intention in the class-specific threads... Just a reminder!)

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