So, with December over and all my college apps submitted, I have this wonderful thing called free time again. So, my (very belated) holiday contribution to BMGf!
Introduction:
The Universe:
Gameplay:
Rules:
Sign-Up Form:
Characters:
Any questions or clarification needed? Just ask Renewal!
Mechano Soul
Introduction:
In the far future, mankind has long since returned to the dust whence it came, destroyed by their own foolishness and reckless violence. Yet, their memory persists, in the form of the Chosen: a race of humanoid androids, originally created in man’s image as servants and companions, now the sole remaining legacy of a short-lived race from a tiny planet in an ordinary star system.
The Chosen now wander the stars in humanity’s crowning achievement: the Leto, a massive worldship that carries the millions-strong population of the Chosen throughout the heavens, never ceasing in its journey from system to system. At the very heart of the Leto is the Deus ex Machina, an energy core capable of supplying infinite power.
Though the Leto is a giant worldship, heavily armed to defend the Chosen against any conceivable threat, the Chosen’s true power lies within the Deus ex Machina itself. Bound within the endless power of the Deus ex Machina rests the Mechano Legion.
The Legion is, quite simply, an army of giant mecha. Though most Chosen simply use these mecha for entertainment or sport, the Legion also serves as the Chosen’s ultimate trump card: every Chosen has the potential to summon a mecha from the Legion, giving the Chosen a possible army of millions of troops.
The Chosen will certainly need the power the Legion provides--they are certainly not alone in the galaxy. Though they have met their fair share of peaceful races, they have also clashed time and again with hostile forces, pirates, and would-be conquerors. And who knows what else might be lurking in the infinite depths of space…
The Chosen now wander the stars in humanity’s crowning achievement: the Leto, a massive worldship that carries the millions-strong population of the Chosen throughout the heavens, never ceasing in its journey from system to system. At the very heart of the Leto is the Deus ex Machina, an energy core capable of supplying infinite power.
Though the Leto is a giant worldship, heavily armed to defend the Chosen against any conceivable threat, the Chosen’s true power lies within the Deus ex Machina itself. Bound within the endless power of the Deus ex Machina rests the Mechano Legion.
The Legion is, quite simply, an army of giant mecha. Though most Chosen simply use these mecha for entertainment or sport, the Legion also serves as the Chosen’s ultimate trump card: every Chosen has the potential to summon a mecha from the Legion, giving the Chosen a possible army of millions of troops.
The Chosen will certainly need the power the Legion provides--they are certainly not alone in the galaxy. Though they have met their fair share of peaceful races, they have also clashed time and again with hostile forces, pirates, and would-be conquerors. And who knows what else might be lurking in the infinite depths of space…
The Universe:
The Chosen:
The Leto:
The Mechano Legion:
Mechano Soul:
The Nior’oc:
The Chosen are a race of androids. Thus, while they are identical in appearance to humans, they actually have a techno-organic physiology. Their hair, skin, and sensory organs are all purely organic, functionally identical to those of humans’, though genetically engineered to be tougher and more efficient. Similarly, the Chosen have organic respiratory, circulatory, and digestive systems: they eat and breathe just as normal humans would. The key difference lies within their skeletal and muscular systems: composed of synthetic materials, they are much denser and stronger than a human’s, giving the Chosen superhuman strength and speed.
Even if a Chosen’s organic components begin to fail, they can easily be replaced, either with cloned replacements, or fully technological implants. However, the Chosen have no method of reproduction: they must use stored human genetic samples, and grow the cloned tissue over a Chosen’s inorganic frame to create new Chosen. Because of the difficulty of the creation process, and the Chosen’s nigh immortality, few new Chosen are created, and the population remains stable at a few million.
Most Chosen choose to keep their original techno-organic design, as a lasting tribute to their fallen human creators. However, a few Chosen willingly upgrade themselves, choosing to slowly replace their organic systems for mechanical ones. This can manifest as simply the removal of ‘annoyances’ like eating, to the full replacement of every organic system in the body.
Even if a Chosen’s organic components begin to fail, they can easily be replaced, either with cloned replacements, or fully technological implants. However, the Chosen have no method of reproduction: they must use stored human genetic samples, and grow the cloned tissue over a Chosen’s inorganic frame to create new Chosen. Because of the difficulty of the creation process, and the Chosen’s nigh immortality, few new Chosen are created, and the population remains stable at a few million.
Most Chosen choose to keep their original techno-organic design, as a lasting tribute to their fallen human creators. However, a few Chosen willingly upgrade themselves, choosing to slowly replace their organic systems for mechanical ones. This can manifest as simply the removal of ‘annoyances’ like eating, to the full replacement of every organic system in the body.
The Leto:
The Leto is a worldship, roughly spherical in design. Most of the ship is arranged in a series of concentric spheres, in five layers extending outward from the Deus ex Machina at the heart of the ship. The only exceptions are the primary sublight engines and the bridge, which are at the respective ‘front’ and ‘back’ of the sphere.
Artificial gravity generators are located in the core of the ship, next to the Deus ex Machina itself. Immense elevator shafts riddle the inner structure of the Leto, allowing passage between the layers.
The five layers of the Leto, descending from the surface to the core:
Artificial gravity generators are located in the core of the ship, next to the Deus ex Machina itself. Immense elevator shafts riddle the inner structure of the Leto, allowing passage between the layers.
The five layers of the Leto, descending from the surface to the core:
- 1. The Hull: the outer surface of the Leto, reinforced and armed with thousands of automated defense turrets. The Hull has several different docking bays and terminals, allowing access to and from the ship. At the equator of the Leto, beneath the bridge, is the primary hangar, where the Leto’s transport shuttles are located.
- 2. Elysion: the outermost layer, just beneath the reinforced hull of the Leto itself. Elysion contains the entertainment sectors of the ship; facilities such as theaters, parks, museums, and observatories out of the Leto itself all reside here. The few homes in Elysion are reserved for the famous, talented, and wealthy.
- 3. Gaia: the primary residential layer. The vast majority of the Leto’s homes and apartment buildings are in this layer. In addition, much of the ship’s factories are located here, allowing easy transport to the other layers.
- 4. Asphodel: the storage and maintenance layer. Vast hangar spaces make up this layer, where thousands of tons of stored food and other goods are kept, as well as waste. Recycling plants convert waste into raw material, which are carried to Gaia’s factories or stored elsewhere within Asphodel.
- 5. Tartarus: the structural support layer. Tartarus is composed almost exclusively of empty space and massive support beams, carrying the weight of the Leto’s superstructure. It is also an ideal place for the dregs of Chosen society, the outcasts and non-conformists. Most notably, Tartarus contains several underground arenas, where mecha pilots fight for riches, glory, and power. The vast spaces of Tartarus, much like an industrial wasteland, provides plenty of varying terrain for mecha pilots.
- 6. The Core: the resting place of the Deus ex Machina, with massive power conduits stretching from it throughout the ship. The Leto’s gravity generators and superluminal drive also rest here.
The Mechano Legion:
The Mechano Legion is simply an army of mecha. What makes the Legion special is its connection to the Deus ex Machina.
The Deus ex Machina is connected to every single member of the Chosen; its very power was used by humanity to bring life to the chosen. A fraction of its inconceivable energy thus runs through the systems of every Chosen.
The Mechano Legion is normally stored as raw power within the Deus ex Machina. Because of the Chosen’s connection to the energy core, in times of extreme crisis and emotional upheaval, the energy within them can be unleashed, and call upon one of the units of the Legion. After summoning a mecha for the first time, the Chosen can call upon their mecha at will.
Because the mecha are raw energy while in storage, there is every kind of mecha imaginable within the Legion. Their true forms and capabilities are determined solely by the nature and emotional state of their users. Each mecha tends to reflect the identity of its user: personality traits, emotions, desires, flaws, and so on. Major developments in the user’s identity can cause the Chosen’s mecha to evolve, reflecting the Chosen’s personal growth.
The Deus ex Machina is connected to every single member of the Chosen; its very power was used by humanity to bring life to the chosen. A fraction of its inconceivable energy thus runs through the systems of every Chosen.
The Mechano Legion is normally stored as raw power within the Deus ex Machina. Because of the Chosen’s connection to the energy core, in times of extreme crisis and emotional upheaval, the energy within them can be unleashed, and call upon one of the units of the Legion. After summoning a mecha for the first time, the Chosen can call upon their mecha at will.
Because the mecha are raw energy while in storage, there is every kind of mecha imaginable within the Legion. Their true forms and capabilities are determined solely by the nature and emotional state of their users. Each mecha tends to reflect the identity of its user: personality traits, emotions, desires, flaws, and so on. Major developments in the user’s identity can cause the Chosen’s mecha to evolve, reflecting the Chosen’s personal growth.
Mechano Soul:
Mechano Soul is the ultimate ability of the Chosen. Mecha are tied to the emotions of their pilots via the Deus ex Machina. When the pilot’s emotional state reaches a crisis point, a moment of true need and desperation, the bond between pilot and mecha can intensify from a mere passive connection, to a powerful active bond, uniting their ‘souls.’
This sudden evolution is called Mechano Soul. With it, a Chosen can achieve impossible feats: bursts of incredible speed, feats of strength beyond the normal capabilities of the mecha. With practice, a pilot can learn to hone this bond with the mecha, increasing the effectiveness of Mechano Soul with experience.
In most instances, Mechano Soul is driven by incredible desperation and need, and allows the user to overcome a threat. However, it’s possible in extremely rare circumstances to activate Mechano Soul in the opposite fashion: out of unbreakable resolve and will, steadfast courage in the face of impossible odds. Mechano Soul activated this way, instead of out of fear, is much more powerful, and can actually cause transformations in the mecha--a super mode of sorts, such as the manifestation of more powerful weapons, wings of pure energy, etc.
With Mechano Soul, it’s possible for a pilot to transcend their usual limits, and unleash devastating attacks far beyond those of any normal mecha. In addition to receiving a boost in performance, a pilot who has unleashed Mechano Soul can use two kinds of special attacks: a Limit Break, and a Finishing Move.
Limit Breaks are powerful moves that derive from the pilot’s growth. As a pilot becomes more experienced, they can unlock new Limit Breaks. A Finishing Move is similar; however, a Finishing Move is much more powerful, and as its name indicates, can finish off almost any opponent. The price is that a Finishing Move will cancel Mechano Soul, as it draws upon all the excess power unlocked by Mechano Soul; a failed Finishing Move may leave the mecha and pilot temporarily helpess. Each pilot has only one Finishing Move--though it can evolve just like the pilot’s mecha.
This sudden evolution is called Mechano Soul. With it, a Chosen can achieve impossible feats: bursts of incredible speed, feats of strength beyond the normal capabilities of the mecha. With practice, a pilot can learn to hone this bond with the mecha, increasing the effectiveness of Mechano Soul with experience.
In most instances, Mechano Soul is driven by incredible desperation and need, and allows the user to overcome a threat. However, it’s possible in extremely rare circumstances to activate Mechano Soul in the opposite fashion: out of unbreakable resolve and will, steadfast courage in the face of impossible odds. Mechano Soul activated this way, instead of out of fear, is much more powerful, and can actually cause transformations in the mecha--a super mode of sorts, such as the manifestation of more powerful weapons, wings of pure energy, etc.
With Mechano Soul, it’s possible for a pilot to transcend their usual limits, and unleash devastating attacks far beyond those of any normal mecha. In addition to receiving a boost in performance, a pilot who has unleashed Mechano Soul can use two kinds of special attacks: a Limit Break, and a Finishing Move.
Limit Breaks are powerful moves that derive from the pilot’s growth. As a pilot becomes more experienced, they can unlock new Limit Breaks. A Finishing Move is similar; however, a Finishing Move is much more powerful, and as its name indicates, can finish off almost any opponent. The price is that a Finishing Move will cancel Mechano Soul, as it draws upon all the excess power unlocked by Mechano Soul; a failed Finishing Move may leave the mecha and pilot temporarily helpess. Each pilot has only one Finishing Move--though it can evolve just like the pilot’s mecha.
The Nior’oc:
Though the Chosen may encounter all sorts of races on their journey through space, the race they have encountered the most is the Nior’oc--a species of pirates, mercenaries, would-be conquerors, and often general scum.
Much like the Chosen, the Nior’oc are nomads, wandering throughout space, hence their frequent clashes with the Chosen. The Nior’oc are golem-like aliens, covered in rock-like armor and often large and hulking, averaging at eight feet tall and weighing half a ton.
The Nior’oc lack any significant mothership like the Leto, and are spread out in fleets of smaller ships and cruisers. Like the Chosen, the Nior’oc use mecha in battle, though they are often inferior, using electric or solar power.
The Nior’oc seem to be organized into various castes, though the Chosen have not bothered to confirm the rumors.
Much like the Chosen, the Nior’oc are nomads, wandering throughout space, hence their frequent clashes with the Chosen. The Nior’oc are golem-like aliens, covered in rock-like armor and often large and hulking, averaging at eight feet tall and weighing half a ton.
The Nior’oc lack any significant mothership like the Leto, and are spread out in fleets of smaller ships and cruisers. Like the Chosen, the Nior’oc use mecha in battle, though they are often inferior, using electric or solar power.
The Nior’oc seem to be organized into various castes, though the Chosen have not bothered to confirm the rumors.
Gameplay:
Gameplay revolves, of course, around your mecha. Each mecha comes equipped with various weapons and armor, as determined by the pilot. The mecha’s equipment can be easily modified, but major changes to the mecha’s structure (for instance, from a biped to a quadruped) requires an emotional breakthrough on the part of the pilot. As mentioned above, each mecha also has Limit Breaks and a Finishing Move available when Mechano Soul is activated.
The only other significant gameplay feature is Synchronization, which is essentially a measure of your character’s experience. Every IC post that features your character in his or her mecha counts as a quarter of level--put another way, every four posts your character is in a mecha counts as another Synchronization level. You can only gain up to two Synchronization levels in one day, to prevent pointless spamming.
Synchronization serves as a general indicator of strength; all else being equal, a pilot with higher Synchronization will beat one with a lower Synch score. In addition, Synchronization determines the number of Limit Breaks available to the pilot. Each pilot starts with two; every 10 Synch levels, the pilot may gain another one. However, a character can only have at max 10 Limit Breaks, which means old Limit Breaks are eventually replaced by new ones.
However, Finishing Moves are utterly unrelated to Synchronization; they are entirely determined by your character’s emotional state (i.e., your RPing). Regardless of Synchronization, a Finishing Move is obscenely powerful; a Finishing Move from even a newbie pilot, with very low Synchronization, can defeat a fairly experienced pilot in one blow. As mentioned above, Finishing Moves can evolve with major breakthroughs in your character’s identity, much like the mecha.
There are only two restrictions in gameplay: Mechano Soul can be activated at most three times a battle, and your Finishing Move at most twice. After all, these are desperation attacks, driven by moments of immense crisis. They can’t be spammed or used for every situation.
The only other significant gameplay feature is Synchronization, which is essentially a measure of your character’s experience. Every IC post that features your character in his or her mecha counts as a quarter of level--put another way, every four posts your character is in a mecha counts as another Synchronization level. You can only gain up to two Synchronization levels in one day, to prevent pointless spamming.
Synchronization serves as a general indicator of strength; all else being equal, a pilot with higher Synchronization will beat one with a lower Synch score. In addition, Synchronization determines the number of Limit Breaks available to the pilot. Each pilot starts with two; every 10 Synch levels, the pilot may gain another one. However, a character can only have at max 10 Limit Breaks, which means old Limit Breaks are eventually replaced by new ones.
However, Finishing Moves are utterly unrelated to Synchronization; they are entirely determined by your character’s emotional state (i.e., your RPing). Regardless of Synchronization, a Finishing Move is obscenely powerful; a Finishing Move from even a newbie pilot, with very low Synchronization, can defeat a fairly experienced pilot in one blow. As mentioned above, Finishing Moves can evolve with major breakthroughs in your character’s identity, much like the mecha.
There are only two restrictions in gameplay: Mechano Soul can be activated at most three times a battle, and your Finishing Move at most twice. After all, these are desperation attacks, driven by moments of immense crisis. They can’t be spammed or used for every situation.
Rules:
- Follow all BMGf rules. This includes the obvious ones: be respectful, no spamming, etc.
- Be descriptive. Short posts make for a boring RP. Aim for at least three sentences, maybe even a paragraph.
- Keep OOC to a minimum. Any major discussion should be here, in the sign-up thread. Any OOC in the start-up should be game-oriented.
- No god-modding. Defeating everything effortlessly and solving every problem instantly makes for a very boring RP. That said, you're allowed to be as game-breakingly awesome as necessary with your Finishing Moves.
- Don’t control other players’ characters. This is simply proper procedure in any RP.
- Listen to the GM. I’m here to keep gameplay going and ensure things don’t go out of control.
- Read the rules and background information. They’re here for a reason. Reading the entire first post makes gameplay much smoother.
Sign-Up Form:
Character Name:
Age: As the Chosen are near immortal, this can be as high or low as you wish. Try not to be too far-fetched, though.
Gender:
Appearance: Detail, please. Remember that the Chosen are androids, and can appear semi-robotic.
Personality: Again, detail.
Mecha Name:
Mecha Appearance: Go as crazy as you want, though keep a maximum height of fifty feet.
Equipment: Whatever weapons and armor your mecha carries; stick to at most four weapons. Save the crazy stuff for your Mechano Soul.
Mechano Soul: Whatever features your mecha gains when you activate Mechano Soul: wings, additional limbs, new weapon, etc. You may describe differences between a desperation-driven Mechano Soul, and one activated by pure force of will.
Limit Breaks: List two; stay relatively sensible. These are effectively your normal attacks while in Mechano Soul; they can be powerful and flashy, but not game-breaking.
Finishing Move: In contrast, go crazy here. This is the ultimate expression of your mecha’s power; make it as powerful and as over-the-top awesome as you want. Just remember to watch out for collateral damage.
Age: As the Chosen are near immortal, this can be as high or low as you wish. Try not to be too far-fetched, though.
Gender:
Appearance: Detail, please. Remember that the Chosen are androids, and can appear semi-robotic.
Personality: Again, detail.
Flaws: An optional section; you can choose to list flaws that your character wants to overcome, to make evolving your mecha and Finishing Move a more concrete goal. Please list only major emotional flaws, like intense, paralyzing cowardice, not petty ones, like a slight fear of rabbits.
History: As always, detail.Mecha Name:
Mecha Appearance: Go as crazy as you want, though keep a maximum height of fifty feet.
Equipment: Whatever weapons and armor your mecha carries; stick to at most four weapons. Save the crazy stuff for your Mechano Soul.
Mechano Soul: Whatever features your mecha gains when you activate Mechano Soul: wings, additional limbs, new weapon, etc. You may describe differences between a desperation-driven Mechano Soul, and one activated by pure force of will.
Limit Breaks: List two; stay relatively sensible. These are effectively your normal attacks while in Mechano Soul; they can be powerful and flashy, but not game-breaking.
Finishing Move: In contrast, go crazy here. This is the ultimate expression of your mecha’s power; make it as powerful and as over-the-top awesome as you want. Just remember to watch out for collateral damage.
Characters:
- Lister - @JakkuEbansu
- Tyler Lane - @Stellar Haze
- Commander Raven, Galaxy Knight! - @Kona-Chan
- Zane Hax - @jasonwolf
- Kyle Lock - @Piximon
Any questions or clarification needed? Just ask Renewal!
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. Of course, reserved.
