Short-Term RPG Application - Ballad of Saints: A Fantasy RPG

[trustyside-kick]

Screenname of the Proposed RPG’s Game Master:
trustyside-kick

Do You Have An Instant Messenger that we can reach you on for better conversation? (i.e MSN, Yahoo, AIM, ect.) And if so, what is your screenname?:
MSN - [email protected]

Gamemasters/Assistant Gamemasters already chosen:
So far none other than myself.

How will the overall layout of the RPG be?:
The RPG will last for about 2-3 months real time. The story will be provided by myself, The GameMaster, and I will do my best to move the story along as I will be controlling the Villain's actions. The players can fight for the forces of Good or Evil. I will post under the G&MRPG account when I post the Villain's actions.

Premise of RPG, if it is a user created RPG see below for applicable additions to this Applicaton, (Must be a paragraph or longer):

Ballad of Saints: A Fantasy RPG
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Some people would call me a scholar, but I merely choose wisely with my words. Others would claim that I a man of god; a preacher. I have my beliefs, and fear the Almighty for his presence is indeed here, but I do not praise him. Many would go to label me a prophet, believing that my stories fortell possible future events, but I merely re-tell tales of the past, no trickery in this.

I am none of these. So who am I? That matters not. I am untamable, bearing ties to no one. My alliegance lies not with the elves, nor the dwarves, nor even the humans. My heritage, bears little, next to no, importance in why I am here. I have been away from home, for so long, after I have told my tale, you too will have forgotten me. For once I have sang my song, I will no longer be here. I am a recluse. I am a hermit. I am a nomad. I am an outcast. But you may call me Caed.

But, as I have already stated, my name and origin are insignificant; that is not why I am here. I am here to educate, but not as a scholar. I am here to enlighten, however please do not look at me like a preacher. And I am here to open your eyes and your mind, to worlds and adventure you have only dreamed of, without making me a prophet. I am a humble bard, at your service. And as is my service to entertain, this I shall do. And as is my service to inform, I shall do so as well.

Are you listening closely? First I must tell you this old bit of history. But before I begin, let me reveal to you that this no fairytale. No. You will not see the charming prince and the young and fair princess living happily ever after. You will not always see good triumph over evil, for we live in harsh times. Forgive me for I am not here to tease. But you will experience the pain, the sorrow, the grief, as well as the drops of happiness and joy as I tell my tale. I know this story too well, and hold it dearly too much to lie.

If you seek happy endings, then I am afraid here you will find yourself lost. I have lived...seen the world long enough to come here now and tell you such a thing is achieved by few, yet pursued by many. As I am honest with you now, so shall I be honest with my tale. But of course, such a thing is easy when the brief bit of history I speak of is of course past tense: already passed through the Sands of Time, already woven into the Threads of Fate. Now can you see why there are those who have claimed that I am many things such as a scholar, preacher, and prophet? Really? Neither do I.

Thus begins my first song, this first bit of history, and it's rhythm and beat help move the story forth as I play the first verse. You will not notice it though, for you will become entranced. But you need not worry, I do not deal in enchantments of trickery. Such an ability are pursued by only the most foolish and weak-minded of men. Shall I begin now? Listen closely to the wind. Listen...as I begin to recite my poem of the wind. Are you listening? No? Listen closer. For it is the only ingredient I need.

Pay no attention to the plucking of my strings, just keep listening to the wind. If you fail to do so, you will be unable to hear my song. Oh, how hard I have worked on the melodies and harmonies I do wish it that you listen to the wind. Do you finally feel it? Can you hear my grand crescendo? Good. Now become lost in it.

Now begins my Ballad of Tears.

The elven Kingdom of Caldoria, if you can believe it, was once a beautiful and peaceful kingdom. All who dwelled in its realm were free to think and free to act within the reasonable laws under the reign of King Lance. This change in history started out like many conflicts began: between brothers. Lord Magus, twin brother to Lance, was forever jealous of his sibling. Soured and twisted by this anger and never-ending hunger for the throne one day Magus, harnessing the arts of Black Magic and mastering them, took it upon himself to finally face his twin brother.

And for the first time, as these two brothers waged violence against once another in the magical arena, Lance was not superior; Magus was successful. In challenging the King, with Lance having no choice but to except for it is Caldorian Law, Magus had finally gotten what he had wanted. But while his actions may have been within the law, his methods were not for Black Magic was forbidden in the lands of Caldoria. And for that, a resistance was formed.

Many elves, loyal to the memory of King Lance, challenged Magus' reign for the first century of Magus' reign and died. As Magus tried to spread the territories of the Empire to the lands, leagues of men, dwarves, orc, and all other types of creatures tried to rebel. Some were successful, and others were not during what is known today as the War of the Sentinels.

There was a newphew of Magus, whose birth was unknown to Magus for the former and exiled Queen gave birth to him in secret shortly after Lance had been slained. After the great war, with Kelvin now being ready having studying the arts of magick and skills in swordsmanship, he rallied up 11 comrades--men and women of different race--willing to embark on a mission that was known to be suicide. And suicide it was for they were to sneak into the palace and attack Magus head-on. None, not even the newphew known as Kelvin, made it out alive they say; but the mission was not in vain. Before he met his Fate, as his evil uncle was about to finish him off, Kelvin casted a spell that would save the world.

Casting a stasis spell, that would keep both he and Magus imprisoned and animated in suspension, they say Kelvin smiled at his uncle as he drew his last breath. The spell, a rare and powerful one, would keep Magus prisoner for a century in his very own palace throne room where he stood. So for a century, it would seem that the World would be granted peace.

For the first few years after Magus had become imprisoned, men had tried to enter the realm of Caldoria and defeat the great Empire while its King and Emperor remained indisposed. However, the forces many and loyal to Magus, kept their grounds and Kingdom intact for the future turn of their Dark Lord and King.

Hope...had been lost to all.

And so begins my Ballad of Saints, as I will search throughout the land...and find those willing to aid me. Magus will be freed from Kelvin's spell in a week's time. Old habits die hard. He will look to expanding his Empire once again.

...I will die before letting that happen.
​

What will this RPG bring to the RPG forums? (please write two complete sentences):
Many of us knew and loved the Gods & Men RPG that was revived once before. With the creation of these Short-Term RPGs, I believe this is an opportunity to let people pick up the same type of characters again. Unlike G&M this will be set for a certain time limit of 2-3 months so people will have the assurance of telling and finishing the stories they want to tell of their characters as they band together to aid or stop the forces of Magus. I am adapting the established things from the G&M RPG such as the magic system and character classes and such as this is in a way a spin-off of sorts.

Title Of The RPG You Would Like To Propose:
Ballad of Saints: A Fantasy RPG

Example Of Characters Application:
(With SuperFerret's permission, going to be using the template for the application from the Gods & Men RPG as well as other information from it)

Ballad of Saints: A Fantasy RPG - Application

Screen Name:

Character you have created (include known alias or nicknames here as well):

Race/Culture (What race is your character, and, if human, what culture does your character hail from, for example is your character Roman, Athenian, Celtic, Norse, Spartan, Persian, etc) (GMs must approve of any race not part of the big 5: Human, Elf, Dwarf, Halfling, and Orc):

Racial Traits (traits specific to your race; a list can be found in the second post of the OOC thread) (For races not listed, GMs must create traits for that race first before player approval):

Character Class (Choose One):

• Fighter (the quintessential melee masters and weaponed warriors; fighters include soldiers, barbarians, gladiators, martial artists, rangers, and all general warriors)
• Mystic (choosing to master The Art over physical tools, Mystics are the practitioners of the arcane; Mystic includes all mages, sorcerers, shamans, divine agents such as clerics, priests, and Celtic Druids, and all other spellcasters; Recommended that you read the magic system post below before choosing a Mystic)
• Rogue (the classic cutthroat, rogues excel at the underhanded arts; rogues include thieves, highwaymen, assassins, smugglers, pickpockets, and general scoundrels)
• Paladin (these holy knights are champions of their chosen deity and are able to wield low-level Protective magicks to compliment their martial prowess. However they must remain pure and true to their god and their god's doctrine. Any wavering, no matter how minor, will force them to lose favor with their deity and thus lose their spells. Once favor is lost the paladin must seek atonement to regain favor with their divine patron. Evil Paladins are called Blackguards and wield low level Necromantic spells instead of Protective magic; Paladins cannot be of Neutral alignment)
• Spell Swords (these warriors mix the art of swordplay with spells from a specific school of magic; spell swords include the necromantic shadowdancers, elven bladesingers, and other magic-weilding warriors; Spell Swords have access to minor spells in a single school)
• Minstrel (the wandering bard who spread tales of adventure and courageous deeds, but also adventures themselves; Minstrels are musicians and storytellers who mix the melodious songs from their instruments and/or voice with spells from the Enchantment school of magic)
• Psion (the master of mental combat, the psionicists devotes their study to unlocking the mysteries of the mind; Psions include telepaths and telekinetics; a player can only choose one of the two disciplines, not both) (NOTE: Psionics are treated as they are seen in the comic world, but they are not as powerful. So there would be no Xavier level telepaths able to enslave an entire city or communicate with somebody on the other side of the known world, or telekinetics on the level of the Phoenix who can move mountains or topple an entire city in a single act)

Patron Deity (only required for those under the Paladin heading or those who are a priest, cleric, or other divine agent; others may choose one if they wish to flesh out their character more) (Your Patron Deity MUST be from the pantheon significant to your character's culture, I.E. no Odin worshipping Egyptian Priestess) (For the pantheons of the non-human races, see the links below the app):

Magic (if your character is a Mystic, choose from the following schools of magic to specialize in. NOTE: A player will only be able to cast spells that deal with their schools, forsaking all others, so choose carefully. A mystic gets 4 points to spend in deciding their skill level in magic: 1 point equals minor skills in the chosen school, 2 points equal moderate skill, and 4 equals mastery in the school of choice. Paladins receive 1 point, and it must go towards Protection; Spellswords get only 1 point, and can choose any school to specialize in; Minstrels get 2 points and at least one must go towards Enchantment) (Descriptions of the schools and the point system can be found in a reserved post in the OOC Thread):

• Necromancy
• Protection
• Elemental
• Conjuration
• Transformational
• Enchantment
• Phantasmal
• Divination
• Druidic
  

Speech Color and/or Font (actually say what you're using, i.e. Arial Black; don't go "Like this", or what not):

Character Alignment (Good/Evil/Neutral):

Character Personality (Give information on how your character acts, what he/she believes in, how they handle situations):

Origin Info/Details (don't be blunt, be as thorough as possible):

Attributes (Select one from each category) (some races are greater or weaker than a human in specific categories and will be noted below or in the racial traits section of the OOC thread):

Strength Level: Weak Human, Normal Human, Peak Human (Dwarves in peak condition are slighty stronger than a man; Elves and Halflings are weaker than a man in peak condition; Orcs are the same)

Speed/Reaction Timing Level: Weak Human, Normal Human, Peak Human (Elves in peak condition are quicker than a man in peak condition with Halflings being just slightly quicker; Dwarves are slightly slower than a man in peak condition; Orcs are the same)

Endurance at MAXIMUM Effort/Durability: Weak Human, Normal Human, Peak Human (Dwarves are more sturdy than a man in peak condition; Elves are less durable than a man in peak condition as well as are Halflings; Orcs are slightly more sturdy than a man in peak condition)

Agility: Weak Human, Normal Human, Peak Human (Elves are more agile than a man in peak condition; Halflings are slightly more agile than a man in peak condition; Dwarves are less agile than a man in peak condition; Orcs are the same)

Intelligence: Below Average/Average/Above-Average/Genius/Super-Genius (All non-human character races described above are treated normally, although keep in mind that an Orcish super-genius is a truly unique character)

Fighting Skill: Untrained/Trained/Expert/Mastered (Due to their devotion to their arts, Mystics and Psions cannot be Experts or Masters, and Minstrels cannot be Mastered)

Resources: Minimal/Average/Large/Extreme

Notable Equipment (Items your character has on them of relevance, such as thieving tools if they're a rogue, holy items if they're a priest, magic weapons and/or armor, magic items, etc; we assume you're character has basic stuff, like rations, waterskin, and a torch or lantern; be as specific as possible as well as realistic as possible, I.E. if your character is carrying a ton of stuff their mobility and endurance will be sorely hindered; also keep in mind that magic items are rare, expensive, and difficult to make) (For ideas for notable equipment, and magic items, check out the link below the app):

Weaknesses (If your character has any specific weakness, such as a vampire's weakness to sunlight (among other things) or a Faerie's weakness to iron, list them here):

Supporting Characters (Does your character have a significant other? A mother? A Friend? Who are they, what do they have to do with your character?):

Describe using proper English grammar what you think you can bring to the RPG:

How many times do you intend on posting a DAY IN the RPG:

Do you know how to post pictures on the hype boards:

Sample Post (Minimum Four decent-sized paragraphs containing dialogue):

 

[SuperFerret]

I'm putting forth my approval of the use of an altered version of the Gods and Men application.

 

[Byrd Man]

Docktore, Docktore, give me the news, I got a bad case of loving you!

 

[trustyside-kick]

I'm putting forth my approval of the use of an altered version of the Gods and Men application.

And I love you for it.

This is moreso a spin-off of G&M. The locations and such though will be different since in G&M when I was telling a version of this tale in the past Caldoria was in ruins in present day. But magic and how you design/create your character and such is the same.

 

[Andy C.]

I could never get myself as fully invested into G&M as much as I wanted, but I did so dearly love the concept.

I do believe I've got a character that would work splendidly in this setting, too.

 

[trustyside-kick]

Given I'm playing a few characters at the moment across the RPG games, and that my bard will be recruiting and leading the heroes, and I will be moving it along also with portraying Magus and Magus' minions actions...I hope to do this well.

I have set made-up locations and characters to go along. I'm going to try to make each battle that would take place feel different enough so that you won't feel like there is repetition. I'm passionate about this and I'm pretty much doing a variation of what I was going to eventually do at G&M anyway. But, we all know how it goes when nobody posts you just don't want to post so I never told that whole tale at G&M.

I think I have a good enough playbook to GM this baby for the 2-3 month period.

 

[trustyside-kick]

If people are interested in playing as villains--I think it is understood but I will make myself clear with this post--you would be playing as villains under Magus' rule. So if you have any questions about any sort of history/character bio stuff that you wanted to pass by me for fear that it might somehow conflict with what I have set just shoot me an IM or PM.

So, yea, if you are playing a hero you would be one of the people recruited by my bard and if a villain you are working for Magus. Walking the line characters would be an interesting one to work with and if you wanted them to betray one of the two groups then so be it but if they would be sort of not officially with either group you would be required to follow with the overall story. This is a game that is driven and pushed by the overall story not a game for individual isolated arcs.

Tomorrow I'm going to do my best to more clearly outline stuff.

 

[Carnage27]

I'd be interested in playing if this game won the vote or whatever we're going to do.

 

[trustyside-kick]

I've got the outline for the entire 2-3 month long game done now. Going to continue to tweak it but it is pretty solid and loose enough.

 

[Shlee]

I would actually come back to post in an RPG like this that only lasts a couple months. Plus it's fantasy, which is what I write best!

 

[twylight]

I'm interested in joining My load this semester is pretty light and I can swing it.

 

[wiegeabo]

Is there a place for an ass kicking, hard drinking, womanizing mage?

 

[Batman]

I'm interested in joining My load this semester is pretty light and I can swing it.

(For the record, I too am interested in a human archer character.)

 

[trustyside-kick]

(For the record, I too am interested in a human archer character.)

Yes. That's right. I got two females to come back to the games.

Worship me later, though. I wanna get this game up and running first.

 

[Batman]

Yes. That's right. I got two females to come back to the games.

Worship me later, though. I wanna get this game up and running first.

Screw that, I like to cut to the chase.

 

[NiteMare Shape]

I think I'd be up for this as well. I really like the concept and it's been awhile since I've been in anything like this.

 

[trustyside-kick]

Looking at the people interested this is what we got so far:

1) trustyside-kick
2) Byrd Man
3) Andy C.
4) Carnage27
5) Shlee
6) twylight
7) wiegeabo
8) Batman
9) NiteMare Shape

Though I'm confused reading one of wieg's posts in the Multiversers thread about the number of people interested not being vital to the game being made. Or something like that?

 

[wiegeabo]

In the old way, a game would have to wait until it got however many people MB wanted. Then he'd say it was ok.


Now, all the games will be up for vote. And when people vote, they rank them in order of their interest, and leave off those they don't want to play. So, at the end, if a game wins, but doesn't have enough players, it doesn't get accepted.

And since we'll be counting the number of players interested during the vote, there's no real need to worry about getting a minimum number right now. Just get the game out there, and listen to potential suggestions.

 

[Batman]

It's still vital, just not in the same way. The more people you have interested, the more likely that your game will be voted through for play. And judging from the amount of people you have at the moment, this game's a pretty serious contender for the win.

 

[Batman]

Now, all the games will be up for vote. And when people vote, they rank them in order of their interest, and leave off those they don't want to play. So, at the end, if a game wins, but doesn't have enough players, it doesn't get accepted.

But since we'll be counting the number of players interested during the vote, there's no real need to worry about getting a minimum number right now. Just get the game out there, and listen to potential suggestions.

Wait, we're not doing a poll?

 

[wiegeabo]

A poll wouldn't work because I need to know how everyone ranks the games (what their second, third, fourth... choices are). We'd either have to do it through pm's or posts.

 

[Batman]

A poll wouldn't work because I need to know how everyone ranks the games (what their second, third, fourth... choices are). We'd either have to do it through pm's or posts.

Then my question is why we need to rank them if we're only choosing one or two games to go through at a time. Is it something you need to keep track of for the future weeks, or...?

 

[wiegeabo]

because, when the game with the fewest votes is dropped off the list, I assign those votes to their second choices. Some people might rank game B 2nd. Some rank game D 2nd.

And when the next game is dropped for having the fewest votes, those votes go to their third choices. And on and on until only the winner is left.

 

[Batman]

because, when the game with the fewest votes is dropped off the list, I assign those votes to their second choices. Some people might rank game B 2nd. Some rank game D 2nd.

And when the next game is dropped for having the fewest votes, those votes go to their third choices. And on and on until only the winner is left.

Ahh. There's an intricacy.

It's like you're a mad scientist or something. Right on.

 

[trustyside-kick]

EDIT: Meh.