Seeing shadows Bloodlines What you're told What you agree to Pods and trials
3. Welcome to the Island
Waking up Weapons initiation Supplying yourself Uniforms Housing: dormitories 101 Orientation and training
4. Weapons
General weapons information FEAR shields and personal injury The weapon bond
5. Duties
Divisional duty breakdown Training courses EMs, titans, and all the rest Other bases Hunter knowledge Mission reports Specialization
6. The Island
Geography and locations Fog and the power grid Runic tech Golems
7. Combat
Mechanics 101 Defense and charges FAQ Runic weaponry
8. Personal Time
Personal and social life Leave Salary Twitter
9. Notable People and Events
Deus NPCs Metaplot
10. Artifacts, History, and AUs
Artifacts A brief history of Deus Ex AUs Status Effects
11. OOC Concerns and Miscellany
Character growth and cooldowns Dealing with OOC absences Plots and personal goals More fun things
A note about using this thread
It’s possible, due to the age of the guild, that information in this thread will be contradicted elsewhere, or that information in two linked threads will conflict. In these cases, please go by whatever is the most recently-posted information, or if you’re really, really uncertain, contact a GM to clarify.
Ctrl+F keywords
In an attempt to make this thread easier to navigate, each section has been listed with certain keywords. Use ctrl+f (or your device’s equivalent) to search for topics. You can also use ctrl+f “section (section name)” to jump directly to a section listed in the table of content--for example, section combat.
Hunters are recruited from civilians who exhibit a sensitivity to FEAR. Growing up, your Hunter would have been subjected to strange experiences. They may have written them off as hallucinations, sought out other people who experienced the same, or reacted in some other way, but they knew that they were different.
Generally the experiences untapped Hunters undergo include exposure to “the shadows.” They did not have full-blown encounters with Amity students or citizens or horsemen unless you’ve cleared this explicitly and in detail with a GM. By and large they were simply aware of being able to see and feel things that other people could not see and feel--primarily shifting darknesses and strange presences.
gaia_crownBloodlines keywords: family families bloodlines
FEAR sensitivity often runs in families. It’s likely that someone else in your Hunter’s family has been recruited, but it’s also entirely possible that they’re a one-of-a-kind fluke in their own family tree.
Post-recruitment, female recruits are unable to bear children (more detail on that later). Male recruits, however, can still father children, and are not-uncommonly solicited to donate genetic material to female civilian fertility programs for the purpose of creating future potential Hunters, particularly as most Hunters are recruited before they’ve had children themselves.
It’s possible your Hunter is related to existing Hunters! This information is ICly available to full Hunters only, but feel free to OOCly plot known connections, etc.
gaia_crownWhat you’re told keywords: recruitment
Hunter recruits who exhibit FEAR sensitivity and general personal stability (no drug addictions, no crippling illnesses, etc.) are approached with offers of recruitment by designated Deus higher-ups. These can be known NPCs or faceless recruiters for purposes of backstory creation.
Different potential Hunters are approached in different ways, tailored to their experiences. Those with a heroic streak may be promised a chance at great things. Those who’ve been ostracized for their strange hallucinations may be offered a home among people like themselves. Those who are in truly dire personal situations may be offered a way out. A good recruiter sees the best possible sales pitch, and offers it. All potential recruits, however, are told that what they’re experiencing is real, and that there’s a way to fight back.
gaia_crownWhat you agree to keywords: recruitment contracts agreements fake deaths faking deaths
Hunters are voluntarily recruited excepting very unusual meta-driven circumstances (i.e., unless you’ve won a custom or premade specifically in these circumstances, your character was not coerced or forced). While it’s possible that some recruiters might bend the truth of the horror of Deus or oversell the Glorious Purpose of the organization if it helps lure in recruits, recruiters do not lie or make promises about keeping in touch with personal acquaintances, etc. post-recruitment, because to do so creates an unacceptable risk of defection when the truth is revealed.
Your Hunter formally agreed to permanently and without exception sever all contact with all acquaintances, and to participate in faking their own death. Depending on circumstances the Hunter’s family may be seen to and provided for via life insurance policies, etc.; Hunters in particularly dire personal straits might find that this is not an option. Please keep in mind that if suicide is the chosen false death method that life insurance companies do not compensate for suicide.
Hunters agree to be subjected to an unspecified testing period, and to be taken to a secret location for this testing. They agree to subject themselves to confinement at this location for a period of time, and afterwards to take only permitted leaves of absence (more detail on this later). Furthermore they agree to dedicate themselves to furthering the work of the shadowy organization they are choosing to join, and to remain loyal to this organization.
gaia_crownPods and trials keywords: pods podding trials testing
Immediately on arrival at the island, new recruits are rendered unconscious by various methods and placed into “pods,” which keep them in unconscious stasis. When a number of recruits have been accrued, “testing” begins.
From the character’s point of view, they wake up somewhere on the island without any memory of who or what they are, and no sense of identity beyond an assigned moniker consisting of a greek letter and a number (Alpha Six, Omicron Four, etc.). They’re dressed in form-fitting suits and gas masks, equipped randomly and unevenly with survival gear or crude weapons, and informed that this is a survival of the fittest type scenario. What happens then is down to the character, but the testing--which can last anywhere from a couple of days to a week depending on the abilities of the recruits--ends only when everyone has died.
In truth (your character does not know this at the time), recruits are remotely controlling “golems” (more detail later), or false bodies piloted with the recruit’s consciousness while their body remains asleep in the pod. In order to cement a weapon bond and become a true Hunter, the recruit must enter a near-death state--the golems are a recent innovation to keep the valuable human resource as safe as possible while still permitting this state to occur.
After waking, your character’s memories of testing are probably fuzzy, as though recalling a dream.
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Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2015 10:23 pm
➢ WELCOME TO THE ISLAND section trials and awakening gaia_crownWaking up keywords: wake up awakening depodding hatching
Hunters can remain in the pod for wildly varying lengths of time--anywhere from a week to a handful of years, although the pod’s ability to sustain stasis begins to break down after this point and Hunters kept waiting too long for a bond will die in the pod, or may simply be disposed of as a waste of resources.
Hunters are in stasis. Hair growth, etc. do vary somewhat--use your discretion. There is generally a period of disorientation immediately after depodding that can entail confusion about where your character is and why, which is partly why they will be assigned a greeter. The pod room is staffed at all times with an established Hunter to give newly-awakened Hunters a quick once-over, introduce them to circumstances, and lead them to the Dark Cove (see below). This introduction is not formalized and the usefulness of it will vary from wake-up to wake-up. Generally this greeter will also be tasked with leading the new Hunter to the quartermaster for supplies, and then to their new room.
gaia_crownWeapons initiation keywords: weapons initiation solo dark cove bonding
Immediately after being greeted in the pod room, Hunters will be led to the Dark Cove. The Cove lies down a dark set of stone steps, and is a room lined with weapon tablets marked with the simple shapes of the weapons they house. A Hunter has no choice in their weapon. The weapon chooses, and the bonding process has already begun as soon as the Hunter awakens.
The Hunter, on entering the Cove, will feel in some way drawn to their weapon. This can manifest in a number of ways. Feel free to read existing weapons initiations to get an idea of how a weapon can call out to its wielder. Generally a weapons initiation is a brief introduction, an exchanging of names, etc.
Posting a weapon initiation solo is mandatory to begin play. If your solo exceeds 600 words, it does count as a point!
gaia_crownAbout Divisions: To understand a little more what your division and/or each one does, as well as their locations/offices, check out this thread!
After emerging from the Dark Cove, fresh Hunters are led to their new rooms (see below) and are here presented with a coat marked with the symbol of their division (more detail later) and a runic smartphone (basically an iPhone; more detail later). If the recruit did not pick up pamphlets in the pod room, it’s possible there’s one in the pocket of their coat, as Hunters responsible for training make an effort to get to everyone. They will also be given their personal effects--these are minimal, generally no more than will fit in a suitcase/backpack/etc. Deus makes an effort to instill a reliance on the organization very early on.
Afterwards the Hunter may be led to the quartermaster, a positioned staffed by a rotating roster of NPCs. The quartermaster oversees a small warehouse of both basic necessities (sheets, toiletries, etc.) and of basic furniture, etc. This latter is a grab bag: Deus has been around for a long, long time, and you might find anything from a crumbling old antique bedstead to a brand new IKEA bookcase. Generally do not expect to find anything nice. The warehouse does not contain electronics, etc. Aside from your Hunter’s runic iPhone, they do not have any electronics, and anything they brought with them no longer works.
When designing your Hunter’s day-to-day uniform, you have quite a bit of freedom, but there are restrictions, so please make sure to follow guidelines.
ALL Hunters have a uniform consisting of a white coat with gold trim and a plain, unadorned scarf. Intermediate and full Hunters may have a secondary trim color on their coat, which is always the same color as their scarf. Colors may change as Hunters rank up (a trainee may have a red scarf but on promoting to intermediate take up a green scarf, etc.). Hunter coats vary widely in style, but all are at least long enough to cover the hips/butt in the back. They may be extensively modified otherwise (either by their current owners or by previous Hunters whose coats were handed down after promo or death), within reason, with trainee coats being simplest and full Hunter coats (aside from coats for division leads and assists) being the most elaborate.
All Hunter coats are marked on the back/sides with an embroidered gold divisional symbol--a crescent for Moon, a sun for Sun, a branching tree for Life, mist for Mist, and crossed scythes for Death.
Trainee coats are very simple, with plain gold trim and no secondary color aside from the scarf. Intermediate coats feature a barred or laddered trim (see illustration) that may lay over white or over the scarf color. Full Hunter coats may feature a slightly fancier divisional emblem, as well as gradient color extending up from the hem and/or sleeves. Specialists also have an embroidered patch sewn to the sleeve, or elsewhere if the coat is sleeveless.
Unless otherwise notified, Hunters are expected to wear their uniforms on missions and when training. While they are also expected to wear their uniforms around the Island at all times, in practice this rule is adhered to unevenly at best. If meeting with a division lead or assist, be in uniform unless told to do otherwise.
Official Hunter art must feature both the coat and the scarf. The scarf can be worn somewhere other than the neck--tied around an arm, wrapped around the head, etc.--but MUST be present.
ICly, Hunters do not choose their own rooms until they move up to the second floor. OOC, you do choose your room number. Please use this thread to do so.
The dorms themselves are in self-contained building consisting of a single very long hallway (all rooms have a window). The first floor houses trainees and intermediate trainees, and the second floor has slightly larger, nicer suites for full Hunters. The building was repurposed from a very old one, and so it’s become a sort of mish-mash of styles. Dormitory rooms are small and spartan, and while Hunters are permitted to put their personal touches on them, large renovations, particularly of downstairs rooms, are generally not permitted.
Due to a surplus of trainees, the first floor is currently full, and new trainees are being housed in the basement. The basement was once a dungeon, which lends it an array of exciting additional features you can read about here. Basement life is gritty and generally unpleasant.
Second floor rooms consist of a large living area/bedroom/etc. and a single additional room, which may be a kitchen, a bathroom, an office, etc. Hunters can make their own choices about which second-floor room appeals to them most. Upgrades are available to second-floor rooms.
The dormitory also contains a large common room on either end containing vending machines and couches, as well as public showers (one male, one female). The basement lacks common rooms but does have showers, although what exactly comes out of the nozzle when you turn the handle is a gamble.
gaia_crownOrientation and training keywords: orientation training education
Approximately once a month (more frequently if there’s an influx of new Hunters), basic orientation group meetings are held informally in the old school building in the abandoned town (more detail below). Schedules for the orientations are posted in the common rooms, in the backs of the pamphlets and folders issued in the pod room, and elsewhere. While the meetings are not mandatory, no one is going out of their way to tell anyone that…
Meetings are not held OOC. Simply click the link above and assume that your character listened to the information presented. There is also a space in that thread for IC questions.
Hunters are expected to be self-starters and to be in charge of their own progress. Both IC and OOC, plenty of people are excited to interact with your Hunter, and there’s plenty of potential for divisional duty training and combat training!
Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2015 10:25 pm
➢ WEAPONS section weapons gaia_crownGeneral weapons information keywords: weapon design weaponry permitted questing quests totems unsummoned forms
Weapons on Deus can take the form of almost any real weapon imaginable. This does mean, however, real weapon: toys, gag weapons, and non-combat objects are not permitted.
There are some restrictions: all weapons are made of metal/etc. and have visible glowing runes. The color and style of the runes can differ from weapon to weapon. Additionally, two-part weapons may or may not require being joined by a length of chain, depending on the weapon. As a rule of thumb, if it’s a weapon that’s normally wielded two-handed (swords, daggers, hatchets, etc.) it is probably OK unjoined. Otherwise your character will have to deal with the unwieldy drawback of a chain. Daggers and knives should be a minimum of one foot in length. No weapon should exceed twelve feet long by four feet wide at the very largest.
Ranged weapons (guns, crossbows, arrows, etc.) are also permitted.
For a list of example weapons to get an idea of what is or is not allowed, visit this page. Please be aware that some of these weapons do not abide by current rules and have been grandfathered in, meaning that “but so-and-so had one!” might not be a good argument for a weapon that’s borderline. If you have any questions about your quest’s weapon, please consult a GM!
A handy rule-of-thumb weapon guide can be found here!
A weapon also has an unsummoned or totem form when it is not in use. The most common totem form is jewelry, but it can be almost any small object. Keep in mind feasibility of having an object permanently on your person! Some other ideas are keychains, small stones, small toys, etc. The totem form likely has something in common with the summoned form or the personality of the weapon it houses. For “practical” totems, like lighters, knives, etc., please consult a GM.
Your Hunter’s weapon, complete with glowing runes, must be present in their official artwork.
gaia_crownFEAR shields and personal injury keywords: fear shields shielding injury injuries scars scarring healing
Aside from obvious benefits in combat, weapons have an additional benefit: a shield made of solid FEAR that deflects damage and speeds healing.
As soon as the Hunter’s weapon is bonded, the weapon will set to work righting minor illnesses--STDs, etc.--and the Hunter’s body will immediately become stronger than a normal human’s and more resistant to both physical and FEAR damage.
If a Hunter sustains bodily harm, the FEAR shield will mitigate it--gunshots hurt about as much as a punch, for example--by soaking damage (HP) until the FEAR shield breaks (the Hunter’s HP hits zero). Only after a FEAR shield breaks does an incident permanently scar a Hunter, unless it is a GM effect that states otherwise/otherwise is approved by a GM.
The weapon may choose to “ignore” very mild injuries that don’t inhibit a Hunter’s function, such as bruises, hickeys, tattoos, etc. and thus such injuries will be visible; however, these will heal at an elevated rate regardless of severity.
Light injuries to Hunters--small scrapes, bruises, etc.--heal very fast; bruises might be gone in a day or less. Other injuries are correspondingly sped up. Grievous damage sustained in combat might land a Hunter in the infirmary, but she’ll be there for a lot shorter length of time than a human would be hospitalized for an equivalent injury.
A weapon is automatically desummoned when a Hunter’s HP hits zero. It is not until a Hunter’s HP is in the negatives that he falls unconscious and dies, unless another status is in effect to alter the situation/a GM action dictates it.
If a Hunter is physically separated from their weapon or its totem, their shield will weaken or, with sufficient distance, vanish. Communication also becomes impossible over a distance. Leaving one’s totem is ill-advised at best and punishable at worst as a needless risking of one’s life.
gaia_crownThe weapon bond keywords: bonds bonding communicate communication weapons students student forms past life past lives
Weapons live inside their Hunter’s head, but what exactly that means can vary from Hunter to Hunter. While some weapons are not necessarily entirely benevolent, weapons do not tend to actively threaten their Hunters or otherwise lead them into harm, unless it’s as a consequence of craving FEAR from combat and use--which weapons do, constantly, although the degree to which they are slave to this FEAR varies from weapon to weapon. Weapons have senses only inasmuch as their wielder does: they see what their Hunter sees, smell what their Hunter smells, etc.
Weapons may communicate often or nearly never; they may speak verbally or via images, etc.; they may comment on what their Hunter sees or not; they may offer advice during combat or simply keep silent. The weapon’s senses are limited to the Hunter’s own, and while some may enjoy actual attention lavished on their totem or physical form, many couldn’t care less. A Hunter/Weapon bond is a partnership of two sentient entities, and can be just as complicated and widely-varying as that suggests. Particularly reckless, dangerous, rebellious, or malevolent weapons, however, will be forbidden from using weapons golems (more info below).
Weapons do not remember their existence as a student. They may remember vague, broad generalities--a distaste for Undead, a love of Spookies, and Amity slang such as a tendency to refer to boys and girls as boils and ghouls--but they do not remember who they were or anyone they were in contact with. A weapon’s student form could have been anything allowable for quest students!
lizbot Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2015 10:26 pm
➢ DUTIES section duties gaia_crown Divisional duty breakdown keywords: divisional divisions sun moon death life mist duties
All trainees (and generally Hunters as well) have general tasks to complete. Most of these are janitorial, but they can also include kitchen duty, lookout duty, external missions, etc.
For an incredibly thorough list of divisional-specific duties to help guide you in your quest for things to do during RPs, check here!
gaia_crownTraining courses keywords: training courses
In order to gain approval for runic tech (see elsewhere on this guide) and to generally sharpen their skills, Hunters are expected to undergo training courses, particularly those for their especial division.
Training course rules and mechanics can be found here. The Life course is particularly recommended, as it grants the use of bandages--a highly prized runic both IC and OOC. Accordingly, the Life course is particularly punishing. It attempting the Life course in group play, you are granted two do-overs for free--just say the magic word and the tower will re-assemble, allowing you a crucial second chance.
In addition to completing courses to earn runics, the Hunter must complete a mission of some sort for each new runic--an EM, a meta, or some other GM-assigned mission.
gaia_crownEMs, titans, and all the rest keywords: duties duty rosters external missions ems assignments pendants haunted house encounters
In addition to the above, Hunters have other ways to stay busy. External Missions, for example, can be found here. Just assemble a team according to the requirements, make a new thread in the Classrooms subforum, and follow the mechanics for extra points (see mission reports, just below).
While out in the field, your Hunter will be equipped with a pendant that allows them to immediately arrive back at Deus. By default the pendant places your Hunter in the infirmary. It is activated by holding the pendant and saying the words Deus ex Machina. Pendants can typically carry two Hunters, but your GM may specify exceptions to this rule. In addition, pendants can be deactivated, particularly in the presence of Horsemen.
On the Island there are other opportunities to stay busy, including fighting Titans, diving for runestones, or even braving the Haunted House for an encounter with a Horseman or a Student. You can also take on other Hunters on the training fields, where special wards prevent you from sustaining damage if your shield is broken.
Not interested in dice and just looking for flavor for your RPs? Your Hunter may be tasked with sentry duty at the portal or the underwater outpost (see more in the Island section of this guide), or might be stuck on chamberpot duty in the infirmary, kitchen work, bathroom detail, pod room duty (see the Awakening section of this guide) or taking care of the minipets in the laboratory.
Finally, if you’re looking to develop your character’s particular role within the organization in more detail, the GMs are always available to help you craft a plot. See the final, OOC section of this guide for more!
gaia_crown Other bases keywords: bases locations
In addition to the Bermuda base where the action of the shop takes place, Deus has scattered bases and outposts all over the world, notably in the Sahara (prone to attacks by Horsemen, particularly Famine horsemen), the Antarctic, and the Amazon, but also Russia, Mexico, and Lebanon, just to name a few.
GMs will be happy to discuss with you other potential locations for bases if required for plot or mission purposes. Almost anything is viable!
Need to take an OOC leave of absence? Hunters are regularly dispatched to get abandoned outposts up and running--a convenient excuse for a Hunter being MIA. See below for more details!
gaia_crownHunter knowledge keywords: halloween horsemen fear amityville understanding students encounters weaponization
Information is available to Hunters concerning Halloween-side creatures, including FEAR entities active in civilian areas. Your Hunter will largely be responsible for educating herself independently.
However, Hunter intelligence is not flawless, and it is often not shared freely. Therefore some misconceptions do exist. It is safe to assume that with minimal education your Hunter will be apprised of different types of FEAR creatures (minipets, ghosts, monsters, demons, reapers, and undead), and also of the basic differences between the four Horsemen clans. This information tends to focus on identification and known strengths and weaknesses (which may or may not be actual strengths and weaknesses). It’s also safe to assume that with minimal self-guided knowledge your Hunter will be able to differentiate between a typical Amity-form student and an independent (and likely more actively malevolent) FEAR entity.
Hunters are aware that as a rule of thumb Horsemen are more substantial threats than students. It is possible that your Hunter, particularly if she is in Death division, is aware of a tenuous alliance with the Amityville Boogeymen that has proven mutually beneficial.
Hunters are encouraged to attempt to persuade Halloween-side entities into weaponizing. Coerced weaponization is less effective than willing weaponization, and for that reason it is not useful that all Hunters should be immediately hostile to students, although it is inevitable that many are, and for these Hunters, encounters with Amityville FEAR entities can be very productive training.
In order to get bonus points for external missions, you will need to fill out a mission report in this thread. These points for the report are in addition to the point you get for going over 600 words.
After reaching full Hunter, particularly ambitious Hunters may wish to pursue a specialization. More information about what a specialization means, both IC and OOC, can be found here. Specialists also receive a pay raise and may receive other perks in exchange for their hard work.
section the island gaia_crownGeography and locations keywords: geography island locations map towns school infirmary dormitories dorms portal training fields
Inaccessible to the outside world, the Island inhabits the Bermuda triangle. Conveniently, this means that unless there’s a GM status in effect, any questions about the weather can be solved by Googling weather in Bermuda.
In addition to the dormitory building discussed above, Deus is home to a cluster of offices for fully-ranked Hunters, a library of work-relevant material (including horror movies, etc., as these constitute valid research material), a fully-outfitted infirmary and an extensive suite of laboratories and testing facilities of all kinds, as well as a cafeteria where free food of variable, mostly disappointing quality can be had.
Also crucial to life on the Island is the training field, which is outfitted with FEAR-responsive dummies for recruits to test out their skills, including charges, on. Here recruits can also spar one another. In addition to being good IC training, spars are worth a potential 2 RP points--one for reaching 600 words, and one for completing the spar with the appropriate dice mechanics (until a shield is broken or a reasonable stopping point is reached). The training field is outfitted with special wards that prevent Hunters from becoming injured once their shields are broken.
The Island was once much grander in scope and homelier in day-to-day life than its current state. Still recovering from the devastation of the events around New Year’s, 1999 (see elsewhere in this guide), Deus bears the marks of its history everywhere: the dormitory is a noticeable hodgepodge of new outfitting in a very old building, and in the jungle one can find the remnants of what was once a mostly self-supporting community, complete with overrun grain fields, abandoned barns, and a town.
The town (sometimes referred to as “towns”) is in various states of shambles and generally agreed to be unsafe, but efforts are underway to clear it for habitation once again. It has recently been destroyed more than once, and so outfitting the town with wards and power is at the top of the priority list. Small slices of it have been reclaimed, and some brave (or foolhardy) Hunters live here permanently, exchanging the security of the dorms for the luxury of full houses, and recent efforts have cleared a soccer (or football, or baseball, or…) field and even established a dedicated bar. The town is a hodgepodge of different eras of architecture and taste, with mid-century moderns butting up against cozy colonials and rickety Victorians.
In addition to the empty houses and occasional abandoned storefront, the town houses a school building, a sobering reminder of the fact that Deus was once a place for families, including children. The school remains partially infested with shadowlings and other lurking dangers, but parts of it have been cleared and repurposed: the gymnasium for assemblies and large get-togethers, and several classrooms for orientations, classes, and other needs.
Yes, there is a pool. No, the pool is not functional. Yet.
There are also several beaches, generally considered unsafe due to the presence of Titans and other beasties, but some potentially useable for the brave or reckless. The rest of the Island is given over to jungle, sea-cliffs, and the occasional aforementioned overgrown field.
gaia_crownFog and the power grid keywords: insanity fog power source electricity grid internet intranet web
Until fairly recently, the Island was shrouded in a fog of Insanity. This fog prevented technology from functioning on the Island without runic protection (see below) and also prevents life from thriving on the Island, leaving it devoid of all but occasionally-visiting seabirds The weapon bond prevents Insanity from killing hunters, but other humans can inhabit the Island only temporarily before succumbing to the effects of Insanity, and dying.
While the fog has lifted, its residual effects remain, and so runic technology is still required. The island has a self-sustaining runic power grid connected to the main buildings and powered outposts, and also recently expanded to begin reconnecting to the town in light of recent resettlement efforts. In addition to the power grid, the Island had a contained Deus intranet, inaccessible to the outside world. The outside world’s internet is not available on-Island, but the intranet does contain mirrors of many popular sites, including a personalized Deus Twitter (OOCly, we use real Twitter for this), a stripped-down Wikipedia, etc. Hunters on leave can also save websites and files to their devices to be viewed when they return to the Island.
gaia_crownRunic tech keywords: runic technology runics pricing prices price list
Although the fog has lifted, Insanity and FEAR have so saturated the Island that the effects of it linger.
This means that technology continues to need special treatment in order to function on the Island--it needs to be “runiced.” This can be done by specialists in the Life labs, for a fee.
Runic tech is achieved nowadays primarily by computer, but it was formerly possible only by hand. Regardless, it’s skilled labor and you’ll be paying accordingly. In addition to the base cost of the item you buy off-island, you can expect to pay, ballpark, in the following ranges for runic technology (examples given of the level of complexity of the item in question):
Runic ipod average charge: $500 USD Runic laptop average charge: $2000 USD Toothbrush/flashlight/etc: $100 USD
Prices can vary, of course--discounts for friends or steep additional a*****e tax, or simple supply/demand can affect the price. If you are a known a*****e/difficult person, particularly for the Life labs, assume you will be paying at least double.
Player Life techs may do runic modifications if they are a full Life hunter, are at least a runic journeyman or higher, and have actively trained in the runic section of Life.
gaia_crownGolems keywords: golems
Deus utilizes “golem” technology in many forms. Generally speaking a golem is any remotely-piloted body, and they come in several types.
Halloween golems reside in Amity and are activated by Hunters on the Island to perform embedded recon and surveillance. They can be learned about and obtained here.
Princess golems are simulations of existing Hunters, inexplicably always dressed as princesses, and are used in training and rescue simulations.
Weapon golems are experimental technology that allow a weapon to be temporarily placed into a simulacrum of their student form (NOT their natural form). More can be read about weapons golems here.
There is also a type of golem used for training in Deathsweeper that is similar to the one piloted by hunters during their recruitment trials.
Other types of golem technology do exist with varying levels of classification.
Rather than go into detail on combat in this thread, the battle mechanics thread can be found here. A detailed rehashing of battle mechanics is outside the scope of this thread--for questions please ask experienced players, a GM, or the relevant Q+A threads.
gaia_crownDefense and charges FAQ keywords: combat fear charges
Q: Does running defense build a charge? A: Yes, one build towards a charge per defense roll, just as you would for a successful attack, unless otherwise noted.
Q: Does running defense for a third party cause you to take autodamage? A: No, unless otherwise noted.
Q: Does that mean running defense on a third party gives you free charges? A: Essentially, yes. This is why party organization and group strategy is vital in large boss fights. Remember that your charges per battle are limited, however.
Q: What does it feel like ICly to land or miss a charge? A: It depends on the character and the weapon, and you have quite a bit of freedom to determine this. Generally a weapon is very, very happy to use a charge successfully, however.
Q: Can a weapon intentionally miss/screw up? A: No. It can, however, think that it’s intentionally missed, and the wielder might fully believe it. This also applies to healing.
Q: My character’s using a gun and the person she’s defending is using a sword. How does that work? A: It is a mystery. Handwave realism as necessary for the sake of making this work.
Q: My charge made me do fancy math that resulted in a decimal point. How do I round? A: The FEAR guide should tell you, but if it doesn’t, round up.
Q: Help! I don’t know what FEAR to pick. A: It’s generally a good idea to base your FEAR on the type of creature it was before it was weaponized. If you’re still stuck, however, the “basic” offensive FEAR is Battle Cry, and the “basic” defensive FEAR is The Chill. When all else fails, one of these two is almost always a safe bet.
In addition to their weapon, Hunters can be approved to carry runic weaponry which can give them a one-time boost in combat or mission situations. Information about the different runic weapons can be found here.
Using a runic weapon requires the completion of the appropriate training course, as well as one mission--external, meta, etc. Each new runic requires a new mission and training course.
Runic weapons can generally be used once per mission unless noted otherwise, before needing to be recharged on the Island.
Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2015 10:30 pm
➢ PERSONAL TIME section personal time gaia_crownPersonal and social life keywords: social life personal downtime
While there’s not a lot of nightlife on the Island, there is definitely room for socializing and establishing friendships and rivalries. In addition to Twitter (see below), the common rooms (both the dormitory and division-specific ones) offer places to hang out and meet up, and there’s both the work library and a recreational library run out of the basement.
Hunters regularly organize parties, dinners, sleepovers, get-togethers, ball games, board game nights, etc. Additionally, with recent efforts to revitalize the abandoned towns, a bar has opened. If you’re lucky enough to have saved up for a runic laptop, maybe you’ve stocked it up with movies and music off-Island or from Dwight the A/V guy; otherwise, maybe you’ve got music on your phone. There’s a small Island intranet with truncated versions of common websites relevant to research to read, and of course there’s always athletic pursuits--trails to run, gyms to work out in, beaches to swim in (but be careful--this is generally not the safest idea in the world due to the monsters infesting the waters off Deus). There’s even some effort to revitalize the old pool.
While drinking and recreational marijuana usage is permitted on-Island, this is only provided that it does not interfere with a Hunter’s ability to do her job. Excessive consumption, being drunk on the job, etc. will result in disciplinary action. Additionally, keep in mind your Hunter’s leave privileges and income when considering what their substance habits might be. Harder drug use, including sustained and damaging abuse of prescription drugs, is strictly prohibited and will result in disciplinary action as well, particularly for those with a history of substance abuse and addiction.
gaia_crownLeave keywords: leave of absence leaves vacations days off
After a couple of months of probationary time on the Island and after completing a mission, trainees will be granted leave rights. This amount of time varies but don’t expect to be getting off the Island any time soon after waking up unless you’ve proven yourself in a dangerous mission.
Upon the occasion of their first leave, trainees will be presented with a fully-functional debit card that contains their acquired pay up to that point, and will be able to spend their leave in 24 hour segments anywhere they please (within reason), traveling via portal. Hunters will NOT be permitted to go on leave anywhere that they might be recognized or that their cover story might be imperiled. Visiting of old friends or relatives while on leave is STRICTLY PROHIBITED and punishment, if caught, will be swift and severe. It’s a bad idea anyway--Hunters visiting their old stomping grounds tend to draw the unwanted attention of FEAR entities including horsemen, which will inevitably endanger their old contacts. STAY AWAY.
Punishment for violating these allotments is severe and can result in the total revocation of leave privileges. Additionally, getting into trouble or drawing unnecessary attention while on leave can also result in suspension of leave privileges. Keep a low profile!
Rarely and only with permission (IC and OOC) Hunters can request an extra leave day a month, but in return will forfeit all their leave time for the following month. Generally speaking leave can only be taken in 24 hour increments, but combining days may be permitted in some circumstances for tenured Hunters.
Items acquired on leave will be subjected to checks and searches for contraband once brought back on the Island. Additionally, large items won’t fit through the portal, so don’t go buying any motorboats. Flatpack furniture is doable, if it’s not enormous.
Leave time does not accumulate. Use it or lose it!
gaia_crownSalary keywords: salary pay paychecks amounts income
Hunters are issued a debit card on first obtaining leave privileges with their accrued salary up to that point. Their balances are replenished once monthly in the following amounts:
Trainee: $450 per month post-awakening Intermediate: $600 per month Hunter: $750 per month + bonuses (if/when applicable) Specialist/Advanced Hunter: $1,000 per month + bonuses (if/when applicable)
Room and board is provided free of charge, although if you want anything better than cafeteria fare you’ll be expected to pay for it, including vending machine snacks.
gaia_crownTwitter keywords: twitter tweet social
The island is equipped with an intranet Twitter clone. Although we use the regular Twitter website to play, this Twitter is ICly not connected to the outside world (see above for more about the Deus intranet). It cannot be accessed by anyone off-Island except through Deus cellphones under certain circumstances (i.e., civilians will not see it, ever, nor can anyone in Amity). Discussion of classified information on Twitter is strictly forbidden, but it can be an excellent way to exchange information and also to network or, frankly, shoot the s**t.
Twitter’s a great way to get started on Deus, find RP, etc., and many rivalries, friendships, and story arcs hatch and develop there! Just make your character a handle and find an existing Hunter to follow who’s updated recently (try this one or this one), click on their “following” list, and follow everyone from Deus you can find!
We highly recommend using a client to access Twitter, because Twitter’s method of threading conversations isn’t designed for the linear, chronological discussions that take place IC and can make the action difficult or even impossible to follow. Most of us use TweetDeck for desktop, but there are lots of options available for mobile, including TweetDeck mobile, HootSuite, and Tweedle, among others.
lizbot Vice Captain
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lizbot Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2015 10:32 pm
➢ NOTABLE PEOPLE AND EVENTS section notable people and events gaia_crownDeus NPCs keywords: npcs division leads assists assistants
Some important people on the Deus side to be aware of:
LEADS: Caelius Innis - Death Lead. A nasty temper, a bit crazy, with a penchant for throwing people throw windows. Dr. H - Life Lead. Very engaged with those of his own division. Mutual rivalry with Caelius. Stone cold silver fox. Edith - Moon Lead. Serious, no-nonsense, and rarely moved to strong shows of emotion. Has extremely odd taste in food. Allan - Sun Lead. An anime fanatic. Well-meaning but very enthusiastic. Most likely to initiate group hug therapy sessions. Lance - Mist Lead. Took over after the former lead, Aria, was exposed as a traitor. Sort of a sleazebag.
OTHER NOTABLE NPCS: Dwight - Life division. The A/V guy. Actively engaged with Island goings-on, and the person to talk to about matters of surveillance and media entertainment alike. In a bromance with Mark, but smells much better than the latter. Mark - Death division assist. Formerly in Life, Mark was wooed over to Death and spends his time doing various computer-y things and watching unhealthy amounts of Star Wars. Eerily good at navigating both Caelius’s wrath and being thrown through windows. Someone please help him. Stephen - The handsomest infirmary tech, with a dark secret. Sunny - The angriest infirmary tech. Known to box ears. Do not take her coffee away. Zoe - Moon division assist. A minipets right activist, a goth, a weirdo. Oz - Death division. A minipets right activist, a goth, a weirdo. A pothead, also. Simon - Sun division. The dapper, straight-faced Sun assist, more serious than Allan but also harder to get your claws into. Mary Worth - Life division assist. An old friend of Dr. H’s with a penchant for bowling shirts, he is much more gregarious than his boss.
gaia_crownMetaplot keywords: recent developments news o hunters clones metaplot
The following plotlines are ongoing and vital to the metaplot. This is not a complete list, just a list of the largest and most-likely-to-be-encountered influences on Deus at the current time.
Ouroboros (“O” or “Circle” Hunters): A splinter cell of traitors to Deus active within Deus ranks, who sow chaos and dissension. Known to have killed many Deus-loyal Hunters, and are known to be distributing dangerous runic tech to civilian entities.
Merlin (“black eyes”): An ancient malevolent entity of revenge that escaped from Deus containment in the events of the Legacy meta (“the Tear”) due to the researches into immortality being conducted by Clarice (now deceased). Merlin can possess Hunters and see through their eyes, as well as turn them towards evil action. Merlin’s influence is marked by incredibly lethal black crystals, as well as oil-slick black eyes.
Red Eye: A malevolent presence infesting Hunter bases and, apparently, some civilian areas. Contact with Red Eye-infected areas results in a berserker rage interspersed with moments of awareness. This rage is marked by an intense competitiveness and a desperate need to “win,” and in stronger areas or after repeated exposure can also cause urges for mutilation, torture, and cannibalism. Bases infected with Red Eye tend to leave a single survivor, who disappears and remains unaccounted-for. This has led to speculation that Red Eye is a sort of recruitment tool.
Green Eye (“zombie virus”): Green Eye is a malevolent presence infesting primarily civilian areas, but also Hunter bases. It causes classical “zombie”/undead symptoms. There are some antidotes and cures; mechanics for their use will vary depending on the mission or ORP and will be posted accordingly.
Clones (“Famine clones”/”Merlin clones”): Believed to be based on Clarice’s research, the clones were created by a Famine horsewoman known as Nest before ending up, due to the machinations of a Merlin-loyal Death Hunter, in the hands of Merlin operatives. Several known Hunters have “clones,” which are each an embodied aspect of their original Hunter. Clones begin very stupid but rapidly become self-aware and incredibly dangerous. Many are armed with runic weapons, and even those that aren’t can be more powerful than an armed Hunter in certain circumstances. Clones regenerate lost limbs and appear to be functionally immortal as long as their source Hunter is alive. Clones with a dead source Hunter revert to the power level and healing capacity of a bonded Hunter, and are killable.
Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2015 10:33 pm
➢ ARTIFACTS, HISTORY, and AUs section artifacts history and aus gaia_crownArtifacts keywords: artifacts
Artifacts are legendary items with special properties. Some types of artifacts can be obtained via participation in metas, and others can be earned through a combination of spending RP points and going on missions. Artifacts have an incredibly wide-ranging array of effects, from the mundane to the battle-ready. Read more about artifacts here.
gaia_crownA brief history of Deus Ex keywords: history timeline deus background backstory
Deus was begun during the time of King Arthur (details here; note that due to recent events Merlin and Excalibur are no longer present at Deus), and has maintained a constant existence on the periphery of human life since then.
However, relevance to your Hunter's life begins around 1999. In the decade leading up to the events of this year, Deus began using runic coding and incorporating computers into Deus tech, leading to enormous strides forward in weapon and tool creation, portal stability, and (more importantly) the safe weaponization of FEAR creatures.
Since then, Deus has undergone numerous periods of upheaval. Feel free to read on:
1999 As the New Year approaches, the Four Clans of the Horsemen are in the grip of a moment of great power. Their plans to use that power to retake the human world are thwarted by an enormous effort on the part of Deus Ex during a battle at Times Square. The battle saves humanity, but wipes out the leadership of Deus Ex as well as huge numbers of Hunters and even entire Hunter bloodlines.
c. 2007 The Horsemen clans Heirs breach the Island barriers, only to strengthen them with their FEAR and trap them on the Island. The dense Insanity of the Island fog infects the Heirs.
Too powerful to be caught but not powerful enough to destroy the strengthened barriers around the main grounds, the Heirs destroyed the town and made much of the island uninhabitable or intensely dangerous for Hunters.
2011 (Island Meta) The Heirs are freed by invading students. With the apocalypse-significant year of 2012 looming, Deus needs a mass recruitment effort. Testing golems have been refined to a point that a large batch of candidates are awakened at once and bond with weapons.
Haunted House Hunters are dispatched to a Boogeyman training ground known as the Haunted House to attempt the weaponization of an Ancient named The Soul Harvester, which is caught but destroyed. It is revealed that Mist lead Aria has been Amityville professor/Boogeyman Red on an undercover mission to observe the Hunters and minimize their damage. The faux weapon bond has been strained to the breaking point, and the resultant merge of "Aria" and the weapon creates an enormous Insanity dragon eventually defeated through combined Hunter/student efforts. The Haunted House becomes a training ground for all factions.
2012(Christmas Invasion) The Island is left in the hands of trainees and intermediates as most of the experienced Hunter force and leadership are called away on a mass capture attempt. During this time, Christmastown, having been infected by Insanity, invades Deus and destroys much of the outer property. A powerful elf named Jingleberry is revealed to have been seeking his mother while he was infected with Insanity. His mother (Momma Berry) turns out to have been left on Deus earlier that year by a spiteful Amity Headmistress, and has been working in the Deus kitchens, nurturing JOY from the Hunters in the lead-up to Christmas. She is able to harvest this JOY to purify her son and create a portal home.
(Canceling the Apocalypse) With the advantage of recouped numbers, Deus thwarts a second attempt by the Horsemen at bringing about the apocalypse. Through diversionary supplying travel from the Sahara to the Arctic and the Amazon, the Hunters create a distraction that allows them to create a special portal to the Horsemen Isles, where they engage in a battle with Horsemen and students to create a special barrier. Horsemen leaders attempt to use a reforged artifact but it ends up being a sort of bomb. Contained within the barrier, the leadership of the Horsemen and the majority of the population are destroyed again and again until their cores are warped into Insanity. An enormous Insanity phoenix breaks through a portal to the Island, a large part of which it destroys, leaving Hunters in bunkers until they dispell the remaining Insanity creatures.
(Haunted House Redux and the Death of the Council) The Hunter Council decide that the Hunter force on the Island is a lost cause, and they decide to shut down the portals to leave the Hunters to die. They survive, and later the Council is found dead under mysterious circumstances. A trial to determine the culprits is held, and O reveals itself for the first time as a force of Hunter justice through terrorist tactics.
2013(7 Kings) An enormous, cross-faction, AU meta.
2013(Wonder Park) Two surviving Hunters from the events of 1999 have been laying low, and eventually sell their skills to a businessman and discover a way to create FEAR creatures in a laboratory environment, leading to the opening of a massive entertainment park called Wonder Park. Deus attempts to gain control of both the research and the creatures, but are thwarted by the Boogeyman who destroy Wonder Park and rehome the creatures there. Note: this info is not general knowledge ICly.
(Legacy Meta/The Tear) A dream state afflicts Hunters. Unknown to them, this dream state is caused by a future which necessitates the harvesting of their memories in order to stabilize reality against the awakening Legacies. It is revealed that Life Assistant Clarice Sinclair has been creating a powerful golem in an assumed effort to cure mortality, and she is duped after the awakening into turning this golem over to Merlin. Realizing what she has done, she allows Excalibur to lead her into doing the same for him, then dies from the contact with them both. The removal of the Legacy weapons eliminates the Island barrier, realising all the Insanity from the Isladn into the world, creating Insanity Titans. The power is out and the Hunters experience many months of hardship.
(The O Trials/The Hunter Games) The portals are reopened to much celebration, only for the Hunters to find themselves instead thrust into a reality-show type scenario in a twisted re-enactment of the original trials, only this time with the full awareness of themselves and their actions. The trials are revealed to have been organized by O, who have recorded the entire ordeal and had it broadcast to the rest of the Island. It is revealed that O are harvesting some sort of nightmare energy.
(New Year's AU) As a thank you for helping their mother, Momma Berry's daughters send the Hunters a dream of a world in which the events of 1999 never happened--a world that seems better in nearly every way.
2014(Wonderland) A mass shared dream takes the shape of an MMO set in Wonderland, and Hunters are made to choose between alliances to Destruction or Protection. Both seem mad and corrupted. ALICE is born in full as a powerful entity that follows the Hunters back to Deus, causing a week of strange hallunciations and folie a deux.
(Summer of escalation) During the summer of 2014, the famine-created clones are discovered and begin using Hunters as templates. Red eye begins hitting bases and green eye effects surface during a mission. Strange dreams featuring Clarice Sinclair are visited on a number of Hunters. FEAR candy is being distributed in the human world as a type of drug, often by clones. Strange runic technology is found in civilian hands, mostly weapons. Not IC knowledge, for OOC reference only: Caelius kills Jane, a spy for Merlin. The force of her death shatters most of the Island windows and causes feelings of vengeance to run rampant and drive Hunters to violence.
(The Tower) Assigned to a sudden disturbance in the Sahara, patrolling Hunters find themselves among many Horsemen. They endure ordeals in The Tower which result in a battle against Medea, dragons, and Death (Charon). Medea rises to power through the Legacy of Destruction, and Death is killed. For a day, humanity forget the existence of death--including Hunters.
2015(Escalation continues) Clones continue to propagate and the Hunters discover the means of destroying them. Red eyes continues to affect bases and also spreads to pockets of civilians in areas already known for violence. Green eyes events escalate, creating a greater need for clean-up and a more efficient antivirus.
(Knights) Hunters, students, and Horsemen enter a shared dreamstate that gives them a window into the past, to the beginning of the Legacies that are now affecting the world. They are warned that a great war is coming.
gaia_crownAUs keywords: au alternate universe aus shards distortion
Not infrequently, Deus denizens may find themselves plunged temporarily into alternate universes. This typically happens as the result of a meta or a status effect, and the degree to which the events of the AU are remembered will depend on the specific instance.
However, there are other ways to enter alternate universes. The key method is through a type of artifact called a distortion shard, which must be obtained via a specialized quest and grants a one-time access to a particular type of AU. Distortion shards can be read about and obtained here.
gaia_crownStatus Effects keywords: status effects
Occasionally, this thread may be updated with status effects, or you may receive a guild announcement. These are temporary, usually (but not always) short-term events that affect the entire Island, and they can range from the serious (power outages, security breaches) to the ridiculous (everyone on the Island is in love with Otto; everyone on the Island is a kitten; the cafeteria has turned into a swimming pool and Allen is having swim team tryouts). Generally a status effect is accompanied by an ORP, but not always.
lizbot Vice Captain
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lizbot Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2015 10:36 pm
➢ OOC CONCERNS and MISCELLANY gaia_crownCharacter growth and cooldowns keywords: progression growth growing points tally requirements requisites cooldowns
After obtaining 75 RP points and being around for a minimum of four months, a character is eligible to ask for a promotion mission (note: thread outdated, but this is where you post to apply) to Intermediate Trainee. A further 150 points and a six month cooldown from the Intermediate promotion mission are required to request a promotion mission to fully-ranked Hunter. Specialization does not require a set number of points, but you will be expected to have pursued the specialization ICly.
Extra points obtained after level-maxing can be spent in various ways as described here.
Ways to earn points are as follows:
1 point:
- One piece of fanart drawn by you for anything related to shop (max 5 points this way) - One complete regular rp - One full solo rp - One gm-modded event with point prizes (to be linked), where you included your character - One complete classroom/mission rp - One complete homework assignment - One complete battle, with just rolls
2 points:
- One complete 'battle' roleplay with filled out roleplay actions
RPs must be a minimum of 600 words (on your character’s part, not combined) to qualify unless otherwise noted.
Information about cooldowns and growths/art can be found here!
gaia_crownDealing with OOC absences keywords: ooc absence gone mia awol
If you have been gone from Deus for a long enough time OOCly, it may be that your character needs an IC excuse for his absence. There’s a lot of options!
Your character may have been stationed on another base (see above). He may, rarely and for long enough absences, have been repodded for a variety of reasons that even he does not know. Or he may simply have been busy with work! If you’re wondering what to do with a sudden return to Deus (welcome back!), contact a GM with a suggestion of where your Hunter’s been, or ask for an IC reason for his absence. When in doubt, a nice boring long-term deployment to the Amazon is always an attractive proposition.
gaia_crownPlots and personal goals keywords: plotting plots missions gms aim blast chats
The GMs are available at any time to help you put plots into motion or discuss what is and isn’t feasible in terms of your character’s development on Deus. Special missions and assignments, involvement in current metaplot, RPs with NPCs, etc. are available to all players simply by asking and having some idea of what you’d like to accomplish.
You can always independently pursue your own missions and goals! A GM can help you approve loose outlines if you have ideas about where you want to steer your character over the short or longterm, and that includes field assignments or job placements.
Participation in ORPs and meta events might coincidentally involve you in personal plots, but the only surefire way to get special missions and story arcs is to ask, and to have proposals in mind and be willing to adapt them to fit current storylines and restrictions.
If you’re ever dissatisfied with the direction your character is taking or if you feel overwhelmed by his or her current circumstances, please talk to a GM about your options. The GMs want you to feel comfortable and have fun, but unless you make your discomfort known they’ll have no way to help you. Helping you arrange a mission that results in a personal breakthrough or victory for your character or helps him/her refocus his priorities can be a great way to break out of a rut.
Additionally, there is an AIM blast chat for all Deus players that can help kick off your character’s story arc or find RP partners. Contact liss180, ninjazoosmut, or meroviathan on AIM for an invite!
gaia_crownMore fun things keywords: spreadsheets height charts infographics
There are a number of charts and spreadsheets for Deus made by players that track heights, birthdays, and more. If you're interested in accessing the spreadsheets, please contact a regular or a GM for links!
