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IntroductionEveryone that comes to the World of Stories has a different opinion on it. Heaven. Hell. A strange, vast place full of unfathomable and unimaginable technologies. A prison of backwards beliefs and bizarrities. Some just call it home, now.
It is unknown who, exactly, was the first to be summoned by the Storyteller. What everyone knows is how it starts. You wake up in a black void, and there is a grinning silhouette in the darkness. You find you cannot speak, but somehow it seems to know what questions you want to ask, even without you asking.
“My name is the Storyteller. This is not the world you know. This is the World Of Stories. You interest me, so I have made you part of it. This is a place that reflects the wishes of those who are part of it. But! There are rules. I will explain them only once, so listen carefully.”
“You will not be alone in the World Of Stories. There are others. Of course, they, too desire a place here. Do not fear death. For as long as you interest me, you will be reborn."
“That’s all you need to know right now. You’ll figure out the rest soon enough. I’ll be watching... and waiting.”
The darkness fades away, and you find yourself in a vast, empty white landscape, in front of a fountain. Often, memories of what happened before coming to the World Of Stories are foggy - it feels much like waking up, where you can't remember the exact moment you fell asleep. Some suffer from more extensive amnesia, and many find their abilities to have weakened, strengthened, or simply changed.
Those who are summoned by Omni are known as 'Characters', and always arrive at the Fountain located. The Fountain, as your character will come to discover, is the hub of the world. It connects to the seven main verses, each of which have come to be inhabited by different races and factions. The two most powerful factions are the Kingdom and Empire, led by King Arthur and Emperor Palpatine, the latter of whom claims to be the first Character.
Some Primes wander the Fountain until they find one of the gates to another verse, but most are found and 'rescued' by the Empire or the Kingdom, who often fight for control of it. They will often treat new Characters by giving them a place to live and information about the world to start out with. Other factions are generally not so overt, but often have scouts in the Fountain to see what's happening.
Besides what the Storyteller tells all Characters, little is known about him or the nature of the World of Stories, but it is rumored that he will explain everything to those who can find a way to him.
The Roleplaying ProcessWhile some sites have a set format to posts, we don't. There is no minimum word count, and you can choose to write first-person, third person, past tense, present tense. We do feel that some methods suit different situations better, but we're loose about this. The only thing we do not allow is 'chat' style roleplaying. It has to be written prose.
For example, some players like to write only their character's dialogue, and then post, and wait for a response. This is especially useful when writing other characters who you don't know, or in important situations when the decision should be that player's, or the admin in the case of NPCs. Other players prefer to write the actions of all the players they are in a group with, including dialogue. When doing this, as per the RPing Rules, you should strive not to contradict that person's character. If in doubt, ask (either on the boards, through PM, or IM if they're comfortable with it). We highly encourage players to communicate with each other OOC, even if you're enemies IC!
When using other player's characters such as writing their dialogue, you should always seek approval from their owner first. If that person prefers to write their own dialogue you should work out an agreement. In certain scenarios like staff-run storylines, staff may write as your character in order to move the story along. This is one reason it's important to keep a personality section up-to-date on your roster, or let people know in the IC topic's OOC thread your character's current state of mind. If they write your character incorrectly, let them know and often they'll be able to retcon with an edit.
There is something relatively unique about the Omniverse, which is that at any point you may request a staff response to one of your posts. To do this, just make a post on the Help Desk. Through this, in-character information can be revealed through NPCs, and you may find yourself with special opportunities. Unlike many RPGs, we like to create a cohesive world where nothing happens in a vacuum. This is why we have the Influence and Notoriety systems; why you can't go on murdering sprees without incurring consequence. It's about making a shared world where you really feel like you can affect things.
Not everything you write has to come from your own character's perspective, or even involve your character at all. Non-player characters or 'NPCs' can open up your roleplaying options. There are rules to using them, however, that make sure things don't get out of hand. Remember that NPCs are owned either by the group, or by their creator - you need their permission to use their NPCs, just like writing with their character.
Using this system, you're free to do things such as roleplay the NPC antagonist of a friend's story.
NPCs may either be up to your own character's level, or Level 5 if your character is Level 5 or below. When running larger storylines you may request special permission for stronger NPCs. Regardless of these limits, NPCs are not in place to give your character an in-character advantage. That's what Assists are for. These limits are in place to prevent 'NPC inflation' among newer players and for worldkeeping reasons.
While we don't want to put too many limits on your creativity, NPCs are not there to give your character an advantage. For example, you cannot create an NPC with a base and then use that base for yourself, circumventing the need to buy one. You cannot create artefacts to give to your NPCs. You cannot make them members of a Faction without approval, or otherwise use them as a way to gain cheap influence. If you have NPCs act as a 'deus ex machina' for your character in competitive situations, staff will step in to stop it. Etcetera.
The rules on NPCs essentially come down to respecting the site, and the other members. NPCs are a way for you to step outside the boundaries of your own character and widen your writing scope within the Omniverse. Good NPCs should have their own motives and inclinations, not just be powerful allies to help your character out. If members abuse the system, we may put restrictions on it or remove it. If you're ever unsure, or want to do something outside of these rules, then as always, ask.
About the World of StoriesThe World Of Stories is an play-by-post (PbP) roleplaying game in a multiverse setting. Basically, it's an RPG where the main form of participation is by writing about your character's escapades and posting on the forum. Our setting is a strange, interconnected series of worlds or 'multiverse', governed by a mysterious godlike being called the Storyteller who draws 'interesting' individuals from countless universes to his 'World Of Stories' for unknown reasons. You'll travel between these 'verses', encounter other inhabitants and slowly increase your character's abilities. There is no 'end' to the game, but over time the story will advance, driven by the players and the staff.
Unlike many play-by-post games, there's a great degree of player-staff interaction, much like a game of Dungeons and Dragons. Your character is not in a vacuum! Shoot a soldier in broad daylight and you're likely to get yourself a bounty, which other players can then take up. Get into a fight in a place your character can't defend themselves? They may end up dead, or worse ... banished (but don't worry – neither of these means the end of your character's story). This is still a role-playing game. These elements are meant to make the world more immersive, more interconnected. Although there are elements of competition, the Omniverse is about co-operatively creating a story, not 'winning'.
RulesThe first, most important rule of conduct is Don't Be A Diva. Don't get dramatic if your move gets turned down, or your character idea gets rejected, or if you lose a fight. Don't act like you know the rules better than staff members, and don't think that we will change the rules to suit you better. All members are treated the same, and nobody gets exception from the rules. While you might think it's unfair, try to take it in your stride. We try to be understanding and patient, but we're not contractually obligated to explain and justify every decision we make. We're not paid, we do this just for the fun, like you. If it gets so stressful as staff members that it stops being fun, then there's no point. We all get upset sometimes, and we all have our moments, but there's a limit. At the end of the day, it's your job to make things easier on staff by being understanding and accepting of the rules, just as much as it is staff's job to keep things running smoothly by enforcing them. If you make this extremely difficult for us, we will ask you to leave the RPG.
Contradicting In-Universe Canon, for example by summoning flying vehicles anywhere other than Coruscant, summoning flying magical creatures anywhere other than Camelot, using guns at full power regardless of your ATK, or making things appear without permission, will get your post edited/deleted. Don't make up your own WOS canon unless you've gone through a staff member or it's explicitly approved in the rules. Other things like blatantly breaking the fourth wall, knowing things your character shouldn't know (for example, it was in a conversation between two other characters that they could not possibly have overheard), etc. Use your common sense. Breaking this rule will first get you warned, and if you continue to ignore the rules then you will be banned from posting In-Character.
Leave storyline progression and control of official NPCs to the storyline runner, unless you have been given free reign to do so by the storyline runner. This is partially good manners - you wouldn't interrupt someone else's story mid-sentence, to say what happens at the end - and also because it can mess with that person's plans. Again, use your common sense, and if in doubt, ask the story runner. The story runner has a right to delete your post or ask for your post to be deleted if you ignore this rule. Do not kill NPCs unless explicit permission has been given by the story runner. You may attempt to kill an NPC and request a response.
Be careful when roleplaying with other people's characters or NPCs. If you're fighting someone, read their profile and make sure you don't contradict things. Taking someone else's character and roleplaying them in a way they wouldn't want to be roleplayed or contrary to their character (ie: 'Samus flashed a cheesy grin and gave Ganondorf a wink. "That sounds alright with me, babe," she said huskily, waggling her hips as she did so.') is strictly against the rules and will result in penalties. This includes doing something like attacking someone and then having your character walk away without giving that player a chance to have their character react. Obviously, sometimes this can be difficult and not intentional, so we give a certain amount of leeway. The best rule of thumb is to be cautious and always ask when roleplaying with someone you don't know well. The longer you roleplay with someone, the better you get a feel for what is and isn't acceptable in terms of writing their character.
In fights, try to keep things somewhat balanced. Unless one character has a significant stat advantage, they should not be dominating the fight. We're fairly loose about this, because obviously fights swing back and forth and writing interesting fights is the most important thing. Just use your common sense. Writing your character as being able to dodge everything, land all their hits, and generally be better than the opponent for no reason is called 'Godmoding'. This is against the rules, may land you penalties, and will significantly harm your chances of winning the fight.
Time travel, being in two places at once, 'flash-forwarding' etc is a no-go unless approved by staff. You're allowed to flashback, have your characters remember things from their history, both from outside of the WOS and inside, as long as it does not alter continuity. For example, saying in the middle of a player fight or staff-run storyline, "And before the fight, Zan stowed smoke bombs in his pocket ... which is convenient for the present" or otherwise majorly retconning events is not allowed. As with everything else, if you're confused or if you think something is borderline, ask staff first!
When posting in the In-Character forums (from The Fountain to the Digital Verse) everything you post must be in character. Any out-of-character notes should be enclosed in [ quote][/quote ] tags. No exceptions. If you want to post supplemental material like images or extended character notes, please use your roster post or an OOC topic in WOS discussion.
In a similar vein, avoid excessive repetition of material. Some folks like to go over dialogue other people have written and add their own character's thoughts, and that's fine, but we're going to see it as cheesing the system for free OM if you copy and paste every single line of dialogue that other players write, especially if it's a gigantic speech. That includes the In-Character Introduction that the Storyteller gives new Characters when they join the WOS. It's easy enough to summarise the words of other characters. The same goes for re-posting a chunk of something you already wrote. Like OOC notes, if you must quote a large amount of text, use either the QUOTE feature or enclose the text in square brackets.
Let's talk about obnoxious post formatting. Please don't do it. You might think it looks cool to change all the colours on everything and use five different fonts, but it's horrible to read (particularly if you have colour blindness). Some people like to bold or colour their characters' dialogue to make it more easy to differentiate, and that kind of thing is fine (provided you can see those colours on the background) just don't overdo it. For all of our eyeballs' sake.
Spelling and grammar should be of a decent quality. As mentioned in The Roleplaying Process, while we don't have a minimum word count for posts, all posts must be written prose. And while we don't expect every post to be perfect, proper grammar and punctuation is essential. If we feel like you're not even trying to meet this baseline, we may give penalties.
Sexual or violent content is permitted, to an extent. We're pretty loose on what you can post here. However, sexual gratuity should not be described in extremely explicit detail. We're not that kind of site. If you're not sure on what's acceptable then ask a staff member. Sometimes it may be appropriate to put 'Mature' in the title of a topic or aQuote:-tagged OOC warning at the beginning of a post in order to warn people of extremely graphic or upsetting content. Given the nature of the group, some degree of violence is to be expected, but be especially mindful around sensitive subjects or when roleplaying with others.
About the WorldThe WOS is made up of many worlds, nicknamed 'verses'. They're connected by gates, and by the so-called 'story-physics', the laws that connect the verses. Time always runs forward, but is not always running at the same speed between verses, or even in different places in the same verse. This seems to be affected by the 'drama' taking place in an area. Wars will often cause an area of time to slow down, so that what might seem to take a matter of minutes or hours to the participants can seem like days to the outside world. New Characters often return from an adventure and have their minds boggled when they find that days or weeks have passed, though it doesn't take long to get an explanation out of an amused local. As clocks can often be thrown off by this distortion, Characters quickly learn to estimate this time distortion by watching the sun and stars, which each of the seven main verses (not the Fountain or Underworld) has its own set of.
So just how do we balance phenomena from various different universes, you ask? Technology versus magic? Mutant powers versus the Force?
Well, it's pretty simple. In the WOS, all these phenomena are balanced by Storyteller's power. When your character arrives, they might find that their their powers or technology work differently. If they had some kind of power that negates something else in particular (for example, if their presence destroys machinery like Harry Dresden in his home world) then it is massively dampened, only affecting things in a minor or storyline way, or otherwise completely removed. Things like this simply do not work against Characters. The reverse might also happen, and your character might lose a particular weakness they had in their own world, like One Piece's devil fruit eaters being weak to the sea. You can keep these weaknesses if you prefer.
Due to this balancing effect, two weapons summoned by the same individual that result in the same effect will always have the same strength, regardless of the weapon's mechanism. Be it steampunk technology, magically-powered or modern technology, the effect will be the same. They are linked to the user's own skill and power, and so a stronger individual can often summon a stronger weapon. As a result of this so-called 'balancing effect', summoning a weapon that is powerful in real-life such as a rifle won't be more powerful than a traditional equivalent such as a bow and arrow.
Different kinds of weapons summoned by the same individual may vary in power depending on the weapon's mode of operation. Slower weapons tend to be stronger, while quicker weapons tend to be weaker, in contrast with the real-world. This is one of the more obvious ways it can be observed that the WOS has its own strange brand of physics, dubbed 'story-physics' for simplicity. As a result, people are often surprised to find that rapid-fire weapons aren't necessarily a better choice than a pistol, and may even be weaker.
Vehicles are an oddity of the Omniverse, and seem subject to the 'balancing effect' exactly like weapons and magic. All vehicles, both flying and ground, have a top speed of around 80MPH. Horses and other mounts also seem to have a supernatural endurance, putting them on par with vehicles. It's often quicker for speedy Characters to simply get to places on foot, though obviously this can be tiring.
Another strange fact is that certain vehicles can only be summoned in certain verses. In almost any verse, it is possible to summon horses and other living mounts, and small vehicles like motorcycles and hoverbikes. It's also possible almost anywhere to summon simple vehicles like wind-powered boats, horse-pulled carts and sand skiffs, although these usually cannot be transported between verses simply due to being too big to fit through gates, and are usually unsummoned by Characters once their purpose is fulfilled. In Coruscant, Camelot and the Digital Verse alone, for unknown reasons, it is possible to summon flying vehicles. This includes much faster bikes which can fly, flying cars and transports, griffons, pegasi etcetera. Until recently, it was impossible to summon these flying creatures in Coruscant, or such high-tech vehicles in Camelot, but it appears the verses are changing for unknown reasons.
Stronger Characters are able to overcome this limitation on flying vehicles in the case of vehicles or mounts which are tied directly to themselves (in other words Assists that have Flight can be summoned anywhere) though this requires a greater degree of power and cannot be sustained indefinitely.
Horseback and small vehicles such as motorbikes are very popular form of transport due to being able to fit through gates, as well as other beasts like camels, elephants, and lizards (the latter very popular in Corona Mountain).
When the WOS began, all of the current main verses existed. However, all were devoid of civilization - they did have unintelligent wildlife such as wolves and monsters. Since its inception, many local beasties have been wiped out, especially those of Coruscant and Camelot, but the Frozen Plains and Corona Mountain in particular are still filled with many overpowering monsters like giants and dragons. The Underworld was created by Diablo in the WOS's first year and has grown to become the single biggest verse. Diablo recruited and manipulated people from many verses, along with many Characters who feared and respected him enough to fall under his banner. He was the single most powerful Character in the WOS until the event which cut off the Underworld, including Diablo and most of his minions, from the rest of the WOS. This cost Camelot a great deal of resources and one of their greatest heroes. As a result of this, Coruscant has jumped ahead of Camelot in the race for power.
Now, due to its complete separation from the rest of the WOS, the Underworld has come to serve as a kind of prison for Characters who cannot be controlled. Good and evil Characters alike have come to fear being banished there, as none yet have discovered a way of getting back from the other side. Previously Characters have been held captive, but have been known to escape, sometimes by committing suicide, only to wreak havoc on their captors. This fear is one of the major reasons Diablo and his subordinates were able to gain control over so much of the populace.
Besides the major verses, there are many so-called 'pocket verses' which have cropped up, small self-contained universes created by Characters whose entrances are hidden inside other verses. They are so numerous that they are impossible to keep track of. From time to time, a so-called 'event horizon' will appear, a large portal that appears in every verse leading to a particular place, often one of these never-before-seen pocket verses.
FactionsWhen you help particular factions, like the Empire or Kingdom (Coruscant and Camelot, respectively) you become 'affiliated' with them. You may wish to officially join a particular faction, which in the case of the Empire and Kingdom will make it impossible to join the other. The other factions are largely independent and do not actively 'recruit' in this way, the only way to join them officially is to make really good friends with them. Certain factions are generally reviled, and aiding them will hurt your reputation elsewhere, though Camelot and Coruscant are less discriminating in this respect.
It is possible to create your own faction. This will allow the members to be affiliated with each other and gain a kind of shared reputation among the factions. For example, while a member of your faction may not have helped another faction directly, they may be able to call on that influence to gain help should they need it (see Influence and Notoriety). Permissions may be updated by the leader of the faction on the Help Desk.
StatsStats represent your character’s aptitude in four generalised areas. These are:
ATTACK (ATK): Your character’s raw offensive strength, or the offensive strength of their weaponry.
DEFENSE (DEF): Your character’s raw defensive power, or the defensive strength of their equipment. It determines how hard they are to kill, either through sheer resilience or defensive moves like shields. It also augments the power of abilities that heal or shield other characters, and increases their resistance to debilitating moves.
SPEED (SPD): How fast your character moves, reacts, and uses their abilities.
TECHNIQUE (TEC): Your character’s general skill (whether innate or otherwise), representing their ability to land hits, read opponents, and more. You could consider it a sort of multiplier to the effectiveness of your other stats. It also increases your skill with debilitating effects like slowing, or stunning.
A single stat may be as low as ‘0’. You may not put more than half of your stat points into a single statistic. All characters begin with 10 stat points to distribute between their four stats, meaning that the maximum you may start with in any one stat is 5. Later, you'll be able to increase these stats through temporary transformations and permanent augmentations.
Numbers, though. What do they mean? To give you a rough idea of what your character’s numbers mean for your roleplaying enjoyment, here are some descriptions! These are intended as rough guidelines, and – particularly for attack and defense – vary depending on the particular move. For example, if two players have 3 ATK and 6 ATK, respectively, and they perform the exact same move (like a standard punch), the one with 6 ATK will obviously be more powerful. However, if the player with 3 ATK had a move which required a long time to prepare and execute (such as a charged-up punch), it might be several times more powerful than even the 6 ATK player's normal punch. For more details, see the Moves page. ‘Normal moves’ in these descriptions refer to non-super moves.
ATTACK:
0: Basic. Your character hits like an out-of-shape human.
1: Healthy human strength.
2: Very strong for a normal human.
3: Almost unbelievably powerful. Required for near realistic-strength firearms.
4: Beyond normal human strength. Can break concrete with normal moves.
5: Overwhelmingly strong. Can mostly use firearms at normal strength.
10: Terrifyingly strong. Can pierce steel plating with normal moves.
20: Can level buildings with normal moves.
DEFENSE:
0: Basic. The resilience of a high school nerd. Better hope you’re good at dodging.
1: Healthy human resilience.
2: Very resilient. Either works out or is naturally more resilient than the average person.
3: Astoundingly resilient, the kind of person who would make doctors marvel.
4: Inhumanly resilient, as though wearing armor all over.
5: Mega resilient, most-calibur bullets will not break skin with just one bullet.
10: Monstrous defense. Being hit by a real-life ballistic missile wouldn't kill them.
20: Nearly impossible to kill through conventional methods.
SPEED:
0: Basic. As fast as a fat teenager.
1: Average runner.
2: Very fast runner. Required for parkour-like feats (e.g. running along walls for a short distance)
3: Pushing the human limits of speed. Could beat Usain Bolt in a footrace, or Billy the Kid in a quick draw (assuming you have the TEC to land the shot!).
4: Inhumanly fast.
5: Runs faster than any known animal.
10: Angelic speed. Can run on the surface of water or along walls for an almost indefinite period of time. Very difficult to hit.
20: Almost impossible to hit while moving.
TECHNIQUE:
0: Basic. Really bad at fighting.
1: Neither terrible nor particularly skilled.
2: Skilled fighter. Required for effective debilitating moves.
3: Very skilled. Can intentionally deflect projectiles back to their attacker with a degree of luck and the right move.
4: Extremely skilled. Has a noticeable advantage in melee combat, and can bullseye targets from afar.
5: Unbelievably skilled. Can reliably block most attacks from an unskilled fighter, although they still might get hurt with low DEF.
10: Transcendant skills. Able to reliably bullseye moving targets from afar without having to use sights.
20: Godlike skills.
AssistsAssists allow you to call in others to fight for you, be they a friend or a being chained to your will. Like Powers and Transformations, you can choose to explain this IC how you like, be it you lending your power to 'activate' an ally’s abilities, or using your power to summon a being into temporary existence.
Assist characters come in three Tiers of strength, with increasing SP costs. The higher their stats, the greater the SP cost. Just like normal characters, Assists may not have more than half of their stats lumped into a single stat. You are permitted 5 SP per storyline.
FightsFights usually start in official storylines and are agreed on by both players. Other times they are the result of a base assault or a bounty being placed, or often simply as an In-Character grudge or dispute.
In order to initiate a fight outside of a storyline, you must track down the character in question. Them being 'high profile' will make this easier; for example, if they have escaped from prison, or if they have just attacked someone in public. In this case, if you are in the same verse, or in a verse with a gate directly to the verse in question (such as the Nexus in almost all cases) you may immediately proceed to challenge them. You must challenge them within 72 OOC hours of this high profile event taking place, otherwise they are considered low profile for the purposes of fight initiation.
If a character is low profile, initiating a fight will take some work. Regardless, tracking a character takes time and several posts, the length and/or number of which will depend on how far away from the character you are, how much information you have as to their whereabouts (if, for example, they have appeared in public places recently, or if they are still in the same area their bounty was placed) and your Influence in a given area. Moreso this is about having it make IC sense, so put in an amount of effort you think is appropriate. Once you are ready, you may PM a staff member and they will judge whether your efforts have been sufficient.
Once you have the right to a challenge, you must send a PM both to all intended targets and to a staff member stating your challenge, including the name of all intended targets or the base in question. You should also create a new OOC topic for the fight in World Discussion with the same information. Those involved then have 72 hours to respond to the challenge OOC. Those challenged may request to delay the fight for another time or agree to start. However, once the challenge is made, neither player may post IC until either both players have agreed to fight, or until both players have agreed to delay the fight for another time. If the defending player/s does not come online or respond within 72 hours, they will forfeit any artefacts they are currently holding, or which are contained within their base. A player who really does not wish to fight may appeal to staff, especially if they have been targeted by the same player more than once, but it is highly discouraged as a break of IC. Players with a bounty cannot turn down a fight unless they have a legitimate reason, such as having real-life commitments (in which case they should post in the Going Away thread.)
Once the challenge has been acknowledged, players agree on when to start the fight. A player may have up to seven days from the initial challenge in order to prepare themselves for the fight, but it may not be delayed any longer unless agreed upon by both players. Players may wish to post before the fight begins, setting up the fight in-character, but these posts will not count towards the fight itself.
Fights are divided into three rounds by default. Before the first round starts, players must agree among themselves which player gets to start, or a judge flips a coin, thus leaving the winner to decide who starts. Sometimes the starting player will be determined by the logic of the story (for example, if one character ambushes another, that player should post first). During each round, each player posts once. Word count limits are usually decided by the players or a judge before the competition begins - the default is 800 words maximum. In a one-on-one fight, once one player has posted, the next player has 36 hours (by default) to post, and so on. Extensions can be granted within reason at the discretion of the judge, but if a player does not request an extension or post within the time limit, the chance to post will pass on to the next player.
In group fights, an entire round lasts 72 hours by default, and players must 'call' the right to post next by posting in the corresponding OOC topic. If a player is next in line but has not posted within 2 hours, the right passes to the next player to 'call' their post. If you are taking longer than expected to post, you should let the other players know, or pass on your right to post. Once every player has posted or 72 hours (or the decided time limit) passes, the round will end and the next round will begin.
During fights, super moves may be used to increase your chances of success. If you have used a super move during your post, you must put a note inQuote:tags at the end of your post including SP used and SP remaining as of the end of the post.
When used in fights and competitions, Super Moves have special rules. Utility-type Super Moves, such as spawning a number of clones, can be used at any point in your post.
Super Attacks, must always be used at the end of your post, or in response to another player's Super Attack. If your opponent has used a Super Attack against you or an ally, you must make a decision to simply attempt to mitigate the damage with your character blocking or dodging as best they can (this will always result in some damage taken), or to use a Super Attack or Defense of your own to attempt to counter it. Super Defenses can be used at any point in a post, but are best used in response to a Super Attack. To use one in response, indicate in the fight's OOC discussion that you are using it, then write out the result at the beginning of your next post. Deduct SP used as normal at the end of your post. In a group fight, writing the result of a Super Move clash will fall to the next player to post.
If you choose to defend against a Super Attack with another Super Attack, then a judge will be called to roll a dice (usually with random.org for simplicity's sake) to decide what happens. Regardless of the strength of either move, there are four possible outcomes in a struggle, each with an equal (25%) chance of succeeding. 1: The first side succeeds, and their super move does full damage. 2: The second side succeeds, and their super move does full damage. 3: Both sides fail, dealing no damage. 4: Both sides succeed, and both sides take full damage.
In the case that one Super Attack is stronger than the other (for example a Tier 1 Super Attack vs a Tier 2 Super Attack), then the stronger Super Attack will ALWAYS deal at least partial damage, even if it fails. Should it succeed, it will deal full damage. For example, Batman uses a Tier 1 Super Attack and Superman responds with a Tier 2 Super Attack. A judge uses random.org to roll 1-4. The result is a 3, therefore both sides 'fail'. If the attacks were equal in strength, they would cancel each other out. However, since Superman's attack was stronger to begin with, it goes through with half strength.
Fights may be joined by anyone near enough to see the fight taking place IC when the challenge is made. You may also call for help via Communicator to any allies close enough to make their way over (usually this means in the same verse unless the fight is taking place near to a gate). This does not mean they can join immediately, the amount of time it takes for them to arrive must be approved by a staff member.
Escaping a fight is difficult, but possible. This is easier to accomplish in earlier rounds than later. You may attempt this on any one of your posts, including your final post of the fight. You can increase your odds with a Deku Nut (see Items), debilitating moves, or a high SPD. These same things can decrease an opponent's odds of escaping. You can also write creative uses of the previously-described environment, within reason (finding incredibly convenient escape tools at random, or roleplaying immediate success due to your opponent's ineptitude, are classed as godmoding). If you wish to try and escape a fight, first make a post attempting it, then request a staff member decide whether you succeed or fail. They may give your opponent a chance to 'chase', allowing them a post of their own to stack up against your escape post. Depending on who wins and loses, the fight will either end with your successful escape, or continue (possibly finish if it is already the final round of a fight).
Once the fight has come to an end, the judge will decide upon the winner and give bonus rewards to each player based on the quality of their writing. The winner is determined by a combination of game mechanics (ie the stat difference between players, any injuries suffered during the fight, whether the players already have damage from previous fights) and writing quality. The winner may choose to kill the loser, or banish them if they have a Banishment Circle. In this case, Death and Banishment rules apply.
Damage is simply a numerical indicator of how messed-up your character is. Between fights, your character won't always have a chance to fully recover. So if they're in a storyline and going from battle to battle, you'll need to be careful. A character can take 20 points of damage before they die. And death is something you want to avoid, generally speaking.
There are two general types of damage, Accumulated Damage and Injuries. Accumulated damage is all the little cuts, scrapes and bruises your character gets from fighting. Obviously, a little bit isn't a big deal, but it all adds up. You can have a single point of accumulated damage, or up to 19. 20 points and you die, obviously. Accumulated damage does not greatly affect your ability to fight, but it can make a difference especially at higher levels. Accumulated damage is doled out by judges after fights, depending on how well each player wrote and things such as transformations used. It is possible to win a fight without accumulating any damage, for example if the other player posts very little or not at all, but most of the time you will accumulate at least a few points.
Injuries are more serious. They represent several points of damage, and can hinder your ability to fight. They vary in severity, ranging from not very serious to life-threatening. They are most often caused by Super Attacks, and the more powerful the Super Attack the more damage it is likely to cause.
Minor Injury (1-2 damage points) A minor injury is something like a burn, cut or bruise.
Moderate Injury (3-4 damage points) A moderate injury is something like a deep cut, a burn, or an open wound on the arms, legs or torso.
Serious Injury (5-6 damage points) A serious injury is something like crushed digits, severe burns, an eye or face injury, or even a bone fracture.
Major Injury (7+ damage points) A major injury is something like a deep stab, a broken arm, a face wound, or any other extreme injury.
If a Super Attack goes through, it is down to the targeted character to write out their characters attempt to mitigate the damage and the resulting injury. It is generally assumed that damage is dealt despite an attempt to block or dodge a Super Attack, as most characters aren't going to stand and take a giant beam to the face (and this might well result in instant death/grievous injury if we're being realistic). Damage points are not actually allocated until the end of a fight in an ongoing story. Deciding the exact nature of the wound is down to the discretion of the players, and obviously should have something to do with the type of attack used (a flamethrower isn't going to give you a stab wound). The level of Super Attack generally corresponds to the level of injury you can expect, though this is not fixed. While injuries obviously disadvantage your character, they do not determine who wins and loses. Clever players will use them as something to write about, so use your creativity and make the best of a bad situation!
Due to its easy accessibility, relatively small size and the fact that it can be accessed and spied on from any verse, fights in the Fountain often degenerate into massive brawls. Fights taking place in the Fountain may be joined by anyone near enough to see the fight taking place. It is also easier than normal (though not a guaranteed thing by any means) to escape to other verses from the Fountain.
ItemsItems are obtained by being PMed by staffers, or asking a staffer.
Communicator
Allows you to communicate instantly with allies, wherever they might be. This is invaluable if you find yourself in a pinch, allowing you to get in touch and call friends if they're close enough to reach you in time. Bear in mind that you need to connect your communicators in-person or via the Astral Realm or Digital Verse first. Not usable in the Underworld.
Vita Compass
Need to find someone? A Vita Compass will always point you in the right direction, regardless of where you are in the WOS. It will also tell you if you are in the same Verse as them or not. If you're not, it will point you to the gate to that verse. Invaluable for bounty hunters and artefact lovers. A Vita Compass will only work if you have met the person before at some point in the WOS and is not accurate enough to work at close ranges – once you're in the general vicinity, you'll have to search.
Mobile Digital Device
Allows you to connect to the Digital Verse from anywhere in the WOS except the Underworld. This allows you to get the latest information on bounties, and use messageboards from anywhere, but you will not be notified of incoming emails or be able to speak in real-time unless you get a Communicator. This is only a remote connection, and does not allow you to physically enter the Digital Verse – this requires an uplink station (see base upgrades).
Spiritual Attunement
With enough training, you may consciously enter the Astral Realm. Doing so requires you to enter a meditative state. Your body remains where you left it. Unlike while dreaming, entering the Astral Realm consciously poses dangers and all damage suffered to your spiritual body happens to your real body.
Spiritual Enlightenment
With a great deal of training, you may learn to physically enter the Spirit Realm. Entering or exiting the Astral Realm physically requires a good five minutes of uninterrupted focus. However, it is a great advantage to be able to do so. When ready, you may exit the Astral Realm to anywhere within a short distance of where you entered.
Banishment Circle (may carry up to five)
Created shortly after the Underworld was cut off from the other verses, banishment circles have become the biggest fear of troublemaker Characters, many of whom used to flaunt their immortality. Of course, many of those same Characters now use these same circles as a threat to those who would stand in their way. When used against a Character, they will be sent to the Underworld.
Deku Nut/Flashbang Grenade
When thrown at the ground, Deku Nuts explode, stunning and blinding those who see the flash. Great for setting up a Super Move (makes it so that an opponent can only defend with a Super Move specifically created for Blocking or Dodging, such as a shield), or increasing your chances of successfully escaping from a fight.
Base
A base is exactly what it sounds like, though it can be as simple as a house or as grand as a mansion. When you purchase a base, you must specify in which Verse it is located (any of the seven 'main' verses, plus the Digital Verse and Underworld, though you cannot teleport out of the Underworld), and where in that verse. It can be used as a place to meet in-character, as well as a place to store unused items and artefacts. You may grant access to as many people as you wish, but bear in mind that anyone with access can take artefacts stored there, unless stored in a vault. To update permissions, make a post on the Help Desk forum. Bases can be assaulted.
Base UpgradesRecall Station (requires Communicator in order to use)
With a recall station, you don't have to travel halfway around the world to get back to your base. As long as you've synced with the recall station once in person, you can simply get in touch via your Communicator and be warped back home. This can also be used to send items that you cannot carry (such as artefacts won in a fight). It takes ten minutes for the recall-station to lock-on to your co-ordinates, and if you move around then the timer is reset. This means that recalling during a fight is effectively impossible, unless you manage to stay in the same place for ten minutes. You cannot recall from the Underworld.
Teleporter
Teleporters may be used to send you from your base to any Verse except the Underworld. The actual location in the Verse is somewhat random. Each teleporter you purchase may only send you to one Verse, specified when you make the purchase. May not be purchased for Underworld bases.
VR Station
Using a VR station allows you to travel through the Digital Verse in a simulated form. Your avatar has a number of capabilities but cannot contend with a Character who has entered physically. On the upside, your avatar's death will not result in your own death – you will simply respawn elsewhere in the Digital Verse. Sound familiar? May not be purchased for Underworld bases.
Digital Uplink Station
Using such a station, you may physically enter the Digital Verse. This has many advantages, and allows you to exit to any other such terminal you may own, or others you may find that exist in the WOS. However, when physically inside the Digital Verse you are vulnerable to real termination. May not be purchased for Underworld bases.
Medical Centre
With a medical centre, you can heal your wounds much more quickly. Even the most grievous injuries can be healed in only a few hours at one of these babies. Small amounts of damage can be healed in less than an hour. Of course, that won't help if someone is right on your tail, but if you need to get back to a fight quickly then this will come in handy.
Vault
A vault provides extra protection for items and artefacts stored at your base, and can only be accessed by those with explicit permission. Assaulters will need to break into this if they want to steal your precious artefacts. Breaking into a vault is very difficult and will not be possible while you are fighting defenders – they must be killed or defeated first. To update permissions, make a post on the Help Desk forum. -
Death and BanishmentDeath is a natural part of life. But Characters do not obey the natural order. After being killed IC, your character will exist in limbo before reappearing at the Fountain. This reincarnation process takes three days, both IC and OOC. Characters may experience dreams during this time, which may be posted in the Astral Realm (you will not physically be there, and cannot physically interact with anything though Spiritually-Attuned characters may speak to you). You may also choose to post your dying thoughts in the topic you died in. Any artefacts you carry will be dropped upon your death.
When Characters reincarnate, it is not in a wholly physical form. For a time, you will exist in a semi-physical state, impossible to see others, be seen or interact with others. This is known as the Death Shroud. It can be broken through will, after several days of wandering, or by passing through one of the gates from the Fountain.
There is a fate worse than death. Banishment. This is a fate reserved for uncontrollable, unforgivable Characters, or those unlucky enough to be banished by someone who just wants you out of the way (see Items for Banishment Circles). Banishment means being being sent to the Underworld, a near-unescapable verse filled with insane Characters and the many undead and demonic minions of Diablo. Dying in the Underworld will not result in reincarnating at the Fountain - you will simply reappear three days later, somewhere else in the Underworld. There may be a way to escape, but you'll need the help of someone with godlike power to have any hope of finding it...
Influence And NotorietyTo be truly successful in the WOS, you'll have to forge connections and make friends. This is done simply by participating in stories and helping out NPCs. There's no indicator to show exactly how much respect you have in a given Verse – you just have to use your common sense. Did you once singlehandedly save an entire Verse from destruction? Chances are that you have some folks there who'd be willing to help you out sometime. The degree to which you've put yourself out there in the past determines how far out of their way people will go to help you.
Assistance can take many forms, and you're allowed to make original requests. Here are some ideas:
As long as you're in the right verse, you can call on friends to give you a hand in a fight. This can tip the scales in your favor, or buy you time to escape in a fight that's not going your way. Bear in mind that most NPCs, however grateful for help, won't be willing to die for you. Like all favors, it depends on exactly what you've done for them in the past.
Most NPCs will be happy to help patch you up if you're not immediately in harm's way. Some might be willing to even if you are.
Bounty hunters on your tail? NPCs often have safe houses where it's either difficult to find a Character, or hard to get to them.
Tracking something, or someone, in the Verse? Locals can often point you in the right direction.
To make a request, post on the Help Desk forum. You must get approval before doing anything fight-related or otherwise competitive-related (such as tracking someone or requesting safe haven). Things which are purely story-related do not require staff approval (for example, if you are tracking a personal NPC as part of a personal storyline).
By continually gaining influence in a single verse, eventually you will start to be recognised by the local populace. Whether it's because of your heroism, your ruthlessness, or perhaps the mysterious intrigue that surrounds you, the more you do the more people say your name. Eventually this hits a sort of tipping point where almost everyone in the verse knows who you are. This takes a lot of time and effort, usually several months and several storylines worth of work.
Having Influence and being Recognized is great. But maybe that's not enough for you. Maybe you want more. Authority. Respect. Control. This could mean being accepted into the inner fold or taking over the existing dominant faction, or completely destroying any resistance. The way you go about this should be tied deeply into the storyline of that verse, and should be a very personal approach depending on your character. Taking control will be more than an effort of time and words; you will need a powerful faction to aid you. This is a long-term goal and only the very ambitious should consider it.
Just as helping people out can give you a good reputation, being a jerk and breaking the law can give you a bad one. Certain factions work in opposition to one another. The Empire and Kingdom, for example, don't like each other and thus are less likely to help someone who have allied themselves with the Empire. This also applies to other factions within the same verse; for example, the trolls and dwarves of the Frozen Fields are in constant war, and there are many subversive 'terrorists' within Coruscant who fight the power from within.
Breaking the law within sight of witnesses can earn you a bounty. This depends entirely on the particular scenario. In the lower tiers of Coruscant, for example, or out in the middle of nowhere in other verses, people go missing all the time. That's not to say that nobody will notice if you go on a mass-killing spree – it's mostly a matter of logic, common sense and reading the verse descriptions. If you walk into the upper tier of Coruscant and shoot someone in plain daylight, for example, you're going to get a bounty on your head and probably have a hard time getting out alive.
When you do something bounty-worthy like killing someone in broad daylight, you should make an OOC post on the Bounty Board letting staff members know. If you forget to do this, a staff member will PM you when they find out to let you know. Depending on the circumstances you may be given a way out, for example by assisting that faction, but repeat offenders who are likely to be banished either way will simply have bounties placed upon them immediately. Once a bounty is placed, it will be added to the Bounty Board in World Discussion. Dependent on witnesses, the bounty may have only a partial description of you; this will be included in the IC bounty description, as well as your last known location. You can also add your own bounties if you like via the Digital Verse.