[RPG] A Monsters Beginning (Fantasy World)

[JDNNP52]

The gods of Arr'anath do battle with each other constantly. Divided by pantheon and alignment, their squabbles and conflicts can reshape the world. And they have. The Glass Desert, the Eternal Storm, and the Blasted Plains are all examples of the god's wrath writ large across the land. The gods soon looked upon a desolated world and worried.

With the turning of the age, an agreement was struck. To withhold direct divine intervention from the mortal plane. The gods would instead work through champions, who would work the gods' divine will upon the mortal coil. Filled with their blessings and magic, each god could only claim one champion at a time. The new champion could only be selected after their previous champion's death, either through combat or old age.

You have been selected as a champion of the gods. Some would say it's a blessing, others would say it's a curse. There are 50 known gods in the worshipped pantheons, split into groups by their nature and choice. Who has chosen you?

The broader pantheons are split into two different factions. 24 Dark gods and 24 Light gods.

Dark gods: Dark gods are beings who in all things are SELF SERVING. They may heal a wounded warrior, but only because he swore to sacrifice something for their help. They are not necessarily evil, they will do anything to achieve their goals and spread their cults throughout the land. (+5 to Selfish rolls)

Light gods: Light gods are beings who in all things are SELF SACRIFICING. They will heal a wounded warrior if he prays to them, but they would ask that he go and defeat evil wherever he may see it. They are not necessarily Lawfull, they will prioritize individuals over groups. (+5 to selfless rolls)

Each faction of gods is further split into two groups. 24 Wild gods and 24 Civilized gods.

Wild gods: Wild gods are the beings who embody the untamed wilderness. A Light Wild god would empower a mother animal to defend her children, while a Dark Wild god would empower the attacking male who wants to kill the children so the female would be open to mating with him. (+5 to Wilderness rolls, +1 to rolls with your patron god's element)

Civilized gods: Civilized gods are the beings who embody the actions and beliefs of the civilized races (Humans, Elves, Dwarves, etc). A Light Civilized god would bless a knight to fight off a swarm of bandits to protect his lady, while a Dark Civilized god would bless a back-alley murderer so he could get his next victim's purse to stay alive another day. (+5 to Civilized Rolls, +1 to rolls with your patron god's domain)
Lastly, there are the Final 2 gods. The Creator and the Destroyer. The Begining and the End. Mortals only know of them because the other gods speak of them rarely and qietly. They have never chosen a champion.

Your patron can be either a:
1. Dark Wild god ( +5 to selfish rolls, +5 to Wilderness rolls, +1 to rolls with your patron god's element)
2. Dark Civilized god (+5 to selfish rolls, +5 to Civilized rolls, +1 to rolls with your patron god's domain)
3. Light Wild god (+5 to selfless rolls, +5 to Wilderness rolls, +1 to rolls with your patron god's element)
4. Light Civilized god (+5 to selfless rolls, +5 to Civilized rolls, +1 to rolls with your patron god's domain)

Now that the faction of your patron has been decided, what type of creature are you? The world of Arr'anath is filled with all sorts of magical and mundane beings.
Are you a:
A. Fey: Elves, Fairies. Magical beings who live long and amongst nature sometimes have a crazy side.

B. Reptilian: Dragons, Naga's, and Lizardmen. Covered in scales, and generally, they like warm places.

C. Spirits: Niads and Driads. Other spirits, too. Magical representations of elemental might.

D. Infected: Vampires, Wherekin, Hiveminds. All seek to spread and consume. (If you choose this option, choose another type of being to be infected.)

E. Insectiods: Arachne, Giant bees and burrowing worms. Beings that resemble large insects.

F. Mamalians: Humans, Centaurs, Kitsune. Bear live young and have mammary glands. Not so complicated.

G. Ground Folk: Dwarves, Giants, Ogers. Beings who live underground or high in the mountains. Sturdy folk.

H. Avians: Valkaryes, Harpies, Owlmen. Wings and talons. Birdlike beings.

I. Piscians: Mermaids, Selkies, Kraken. They need the water and can't leave it for very long or at all.

J. Plants: Ents, Allure. Sentient plants. Vines and hard bark bodies.

K. Beast: Unicorns, Winged lions. Magical animals, wiser and more intelligent than the rest.

L. Stone: Golums, Lurkers. Beings that tend to lurk in the deepest, darkest caves. Being with stone or crystal for flesh.​

Spoiler: a/n

Thanks for checking out this little experiment. This is my first time writing something like this, so I hope it goes well. I have experience DMing and writing my own stories, so I thought I would give it a try.

​

 

[Marlin]

[X] 1. Dark Wild god ( +5 to selfish rolls, +5 to Wilderness rolls, +1 to rolls with your patron god's element)
[X] G. Ground Folk: Dwarves, Giants, Ogers. Beings who live underground or high in the mountains. Sturdy folk.
[X] K. Beast: Unicorns, Winged lions. Magical animals, wiser and more intelligent than the rest.

I'd like to be a giant, or a beast. Just cause giants don't get much stories. And beast fits the pantheon chosen better.​

 

[JDNNP52]

A MASSIVE "Thank you!" to CaedmonCousland for letting me borrow his ruleset to base my own on! I love his story 'Highever Shall Rise', which was a big inspiration for this quest.

Quest Rules (NSFW rules will be added if we move towards that territory)

Attributes (Stats): There are 12 attributes. Six attributes for personal dice rolls, Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma, and six attributes for territory management dice rolls, Diplomacy, Martial, Stewardship, Intrigue, Learning, and Piety. Basic DnD and CK2 attributes. Piety has to deal with all things magic rather than your relationship with the church or temple.

I am setting a general range for what the numbers mean.

• 1-10: You are on a pathetic level for an adult human. You have no place trying to use an attribute on this level in anything important.
• 11-20: You are on the level of an average human. Nothing exceptional, but also not humiliating. A 15 means you are right in the middle. Half of the 'average' adults will be better than you, and half will be worse. In Martial, most irregular soldiers will be on this level.
• 21-30: This is the point at which one shows talent or specialization. It takes no small amount of focused effort to reach this point under normal circumstances. In Strength, most knights will be on this level.
• 31-40: You are not just talented or accomplished anymore. You are a standout in this field. There are likely only a handful of people in a larger country who can match you. Kings, Archons, and Emperors will vie for your services or be desperately trying to kill you and shall be willing to give out great rewards towards that end.
• 41-50: Wow, you are on a completely different level. At lower than 45, you will still be a once-in-a-lifetime genius in your field. If it's higher than that, your talent should be measured on a historical scale. Later generations will tell stories of you. In Learning, you'd be an Aristotle/Da Vinci/Einstein-level genius. The education of later generations will revolve around learning your works, and scholarly reputations will be forged on their ability to prove/disprove/improve your theories and works.

I am imposing the 50-stat limit. Each rank will be harder to advance further, meaning I'll give less and less stat increases. There will be constant 'Improvement Quests' (if you find some way to train that skill) probably till you hit 21. After that, you'll likely get increases for completing hard tasks and achievements as extra bonuses. Rarely will you get a direct Improvement Quest, and only when you unlock a rarer task. Once you hit 41, everything beyond that will only be obtainable for great 'national' achievements; Martial will require winning national level battles, Diplomacy will require forging national treaties, Learning will require making advancements in something that will benefit just about everyone in Thedas, etc.

Rolls: About the rolls. There shall be a 'Threshold' based on the difficulty of the task, and you must beat the threshold to succeed in the task. I shall roll a 100-sided die to contribute the first points. After that shall be the Attribute score related to that task. Then any bonuses that apply.

There can be demerits based on your own traits or acts, but also occasionally targets shall have their own traits that help them as well. Conducting a battle against a great general obviously means you are facing him, and his traits. An inverse of this is that some tasks allow you to add another's traits to your own score, like when you cooperate with a fellow monster against another group.

Example: You wish to exterminate an adventurer party. You lead your small army of monsters against them. This moves it from personal stats to territory stats. The threshold is 60. Roll (37)+ Martial score (18)+Novice Warrior (+5)=60. Barely managed it.

There can be multiple thresholds, which basically mean that there are different levels of 'success'. In the example, the threshold might have been shown as 60/80. Only achieving the 60 mark means you did succeed in wiping out the adventurers but suffered heavy losses to your force. Getting 80 would have meant your losses were lower as the Party surrendered once it became clear they would lose rather than fight to the last.

There is such a thing as Critical Success though. This means hitting or exceeding 100 in your role. Getting 100 means you succeeded as much as could be expected. In the example, a score of 100 means you managed to ambush the Adventurers, and you suffered barely any losses at all as they were quickly overwhelmed.

Getting a Critical also means you get to reroll for 'further success'. If you fail this roll, it won't cost you anything. However, further successes will be beyond what could normally be expected, like having lucky finds, lowering expected costs, gaining traits, etc. In the example, getting a critical and then rerolling a 64 might mean your troops gained morale or found better loot. A reroll of 94 might mean you captured enough of the party, and they revealed important information about other adventurers in the area. Two critical successes might mean you showed yourself to be very good at leading troops without alerting targets. There is a cap of four Critical Successes in total. By that point, a bandit hunting missions would mean you found them all knocked out drunk, they had a great deal of loot, all their prisoners were unharmed, and the cave they used as a hideout was actually connected to an ancient elven ruin that you could later choose to explore. You really can't get more than that.

Generally, Crits will stack in this way.

• 1st crit (first roll): Completes the mission to the best of mundane means.
• 2nd crit: Gain beneficial information to yourself or territory
• 3rd crit: Locate an unusual object, treasure, or resource.
• 4th crit: Gain a special trait that will help with this particular task in the future.

Rerolls work by a different system, though. All your bonuses no longer work on rerolls. However, any extra score from your last roll will be included. If you originally got a score of 125, you get a 25-point bonus to the reroll. If you had a score of 183, you get an 83-point bonus to a reroll. This reroll scores are a total of (dice roll)+(leftover points from previous score)+(Attribute score).

Attributes, and their effect on bonuses and number of choices: Your attributes have a few more effects on how things play along. Whilst previously stated that your attribute score is added to your roll score, it actually doesn't do so when your score is too low. Similarly, higher scores provide you the ability to accomplish more tasks in that field than before.

Here is how it goes.

• 1-10: Your score is not added as a bonus to your roll score, at this point. You are only able to choose a single task per field.
• 11-20: Your score is added as a bonus to your roll score, at this point. You are still only able to choose a single task per field.
• 21-30: Your score is still added, and shall always be so. I shall no longer mention it. You now are able to choose two tasks per field, every turn.
• 31-40: You are now able to choose three tasks per field, every turn.
• 41-50: You are now able to choose four tasks per field, every turn.

Reputation vs Relationship: A matter of group vs individual. You have a relationship with a person. You have a reputation with a country/city/race/etc. Reputation is harder to get, typically requiring multiple efforts long term or a major achievement. The scale of the group you are earning a reputation with also matters. It is easier to gain a reputation with a city than a country.

Time vs Turns: Each "turn" will be split into about three chapters. The first chapter will have The choices. The second chapter will begin you doing those tasks and then listing any further problems that need to be dealt with. The third and final chapter will show how you chose to deal with any problems that came up and the final rewards (if any) that you earned. Each three chapter structure should take about one to two weeks of in story time.

Money: This world primarily uses Gold, Silver, and Bronze coins. Each gold coin is worth ten silver coins. Each silver coin is worth ten bronze coins. Five bronze coins would be the equivalent wage for a day laborer. Enough for dinner, a room at the inn, with enough left over for breakfast and lunch tomorrow.

 

[JDNNP52]

All right. I am going to pause voting right here. I will get the next passage posted shortly!

 

[JDNNP52]

Spoiler: Winning vote!

[X] 1. Dark Wild god ( +5 to selfish rolls, +5 to Wilderness rolls, +1 to rolls with your patron god's element)
[X] G. Ground Folk: Dwarves, Giants, Ogers. Beings who live underground or high in the mountains. Sturdy folk.
[X] K. Beast: Unicorns, Winged lions. Magical animals, wiser and more intelligent than the rest.

I'd like to be a giant, or a beast. Just cause giants don't get much stories. And beast fits the pantheon chosen better.

Click to shrink...

You have been chosen by one of the Wild Dark gods. That pantheon of 12 embraces the concept of 'Survival of the Fittest. '

• Dhelstus: The Dark God of Fire. She embodies wildfire and all it brings. The suffocating smoke, the creeping sense of danger, and then the panic of animals caught unaware of the approaching danger. She is the change that sweeps away all that are too weak to flee or survive. The first of the three calamities. Female
• Thalbris: The Dark God of Magic. Patron of all the creatures of the field and forest that use magic to win. Illusion crafting frogs, wolves that hunt with lightning, and deer that move through mist. Magic is a tool in nature's arsenal. Thalbris makes sure nature uses it well. Unknown
• Urtar: The Dark God of Volcanoes and Magma. Death and destruction are his means. He takes it upon himself to wipe the slate clean so that nature can grow wild and green. The second of the three calamities. Male
• Ekmes: The Dark God of the Earth. When you strike it rich so you don't have to be sold. When the cliff gives way under your enemy. When you find the burrow of your dreams. Male
• Phitia: The Dark God of Plants. Plants that strangled, plants that struggled, plants that fought. Plants that poisoned the ground around themselves. Plants that grew thorns, or poison. Plants that survived. Female
• Bumus: The Dark God of the Deserts. Sandstorms that scour the rocks clean. Cactus that Stab at any who try to take their water. Animals battling to the death over the smallest bit of food. The desert is harsh, and so is he. Male
• Qikthos: The Dark God of Air. She is the god of poisoned air that clouds a swamp. The sweep of fog that hides the hunting pack. The gusty breeze for the pirates and the winds that cover the trail of the thief. Female
• Hanir: The Dark god of Lightning. Commonly called the god of vengeance, he will strike down from the heavens those that have wronged others. He's a pretty chill dude otherwise. Sometimes, he hangs out with the three calamities if he's feeling bored. Male
• Famus: The Dark God of Storms. Famous is lord of cyclones and tornadoes. Hurricanes and typhoons. The destruction of the sky visited upon the earth. The Third of the Three calamities. Male
• Oysus: The Dark God of Water. The stream needed to hide your scent. The current that pulled your enemy under. The toxic well for your conquerors. Water used selfishly. Female
• Ciris: The Dark God of Cold. Animals frozen to death because they didn't store enough for winter. People starving because what they had was taken. The icicle in just the right spot to kill your enemy. Famale
• Ghesasis: The Dark God of Fertility. Human wombs swollen with beastial seed. Bulging eggsacks ready to unleash a ravinouse swarm. Parasitic progeny eating their way out of their host. Reproducing at anothers cost is what Ghesasis represents. Hermaphrodite

Choose 1

1. Dhelstus (+1 to fire related rolls, Species modified with fire traits)
2. Thalbris (+1 to magic related rolls, +10 to gaining spells or spelllike abilities, can be Male, Female or Futanari(NSFW activated?))
3. Urtar (+1 to magma related rolls, Species modified with volcanic traits)
4. Ekmes (+1 to earth related rolls, Species modified with earth traits)
5. Phitia (+1 to plant related rolls, Species modified with plant traits)
6. Bumus (+1 to desert related rolls, Species modified with desert traits)
7. Qikthos (+1 to air related rolls, species modified with air traits)
8. Hanir (+1 to lightning related rolls, Species modified with lightning traits)
9. Famus (+1 to storm related rolls Species modified with storm traits)
10. Oysus (+1 to water related rolls, Species modified with water traits)
11. Ciris (+1 to cold related rolls, Species modified with cold traits)
12. Ghesasis (+1 to Fertility related rolls, Species modified with fertility traits, can be male, female, or futanari, NSFW ACTIVATED!)

Great! Now that we know who is holding your leash (or not is some cases), we can take another look at back at you! What are you?

• Ground Folk: Dwarves, Giants, Ogers. Beings who live underground or high in the mountains. Sturdy folk.
  • Dwarves: Dwarves, or common dwarves as they are sometimes called, are one of the most ubiquitous races, known for their short stature and greed. These humanoids are somewhere between 4'6" and 5' while weighing 150lbs. They are almost identical to humans in appearance, and of comparable intelligence. However, they are significantly shorter and both sexes grow long beards, something they take great pride in. Like humans, dwarves can have many different colors of hair, skin, or eyes. However, a dwarf's bones are significantly more dense, which allows them to take more abuse before cracking or breaking. (+5 constitution)
    • Optional: Write in sub-species
  • Hobbits: Hobbits, often referred to as "halflings," are essentially miniature humans. In fact, there are only a handful of differences between humans and hobbits. Most notably, their size. Hobbits are very short, usually between three to four feet tall and weighing about 65lbs. Additionally, hobbits have hairy feet that are quite large when compared to the rest of their body. Interestingly, hobbits also have some elvish features as well, like pointy ears and the inability to grow facial hair. Like humans, hobbits have a variety of hair and eye colors as well as skin tones. (+5 dexterity)
    • Optional: Write in sub-species
  • Ogre: These hominoid creatures are lazy and slow. Ogres usually have thick Caucasian or green skin that is covered with bumps and warts. They grow almost no hair and have large tusk like fangs that grow from their bottom jaw. They prefer to sleep the day away and travel in the twilight or night but are not unknown to leave their caves during the day. (+5 strength)
    • Optional: Write in sub-species
  • Giant: Humanoids that can grow up to 50 feet tall and weigh over 20,000 pounds. They have many different skin tones and are not very intelligent. They form meandering tribes that have up to 10 members. Giants look exactly like humans, although they are many times bigger. (+7 strength, +7 Constitution, -10 Dexterity)
    • Optional: Write in sub-species
• Beasts: Unicorns, Winged lions. Magical animals, wiser and more intelligent than the rest.
  • Unicorns: A unicorn, is a mythical creature, typically depicted as a horse-like animal with a single, spiraling horn on its forehead, often associated with purity, grace, and magic. They are magical creatures who desire pure maidens and can cast powerful magic through their horns. (+5 wisdom, +5 charisma to Virgins)
    • Optional: Write in sub-species
  • Winged Lion: White furred lions with giant white wings growing out of their back. They are fiercely territorial and will drive out all other large predators from their territory. (+5 Strength)
    • Optional: Write in sub-species
  • Direwolf/Warg: Direwolves can grow larger than ponies and twice the size of large hounds. In proportion to their bodies, their legs are longer and their heads are larger than normal wolves. Their muzzles are also longer and more pronounced. Possible colorations include grey with yellow eyes and black with green eyes. Albino direwolves have white fur and red eyes. Direwolves are efficient solitary hunters and are extremely intelligent. They can learn to speak if properly taught. Left to its own devices, a solitary direwolf may join a pack of common wolves and establish dominance over it thanks to its larger size. The scent of direwolves can agitate dogs. (+3 Dexterity, +2 Intellegence)
    • Optional: Write in sub-species
  • Giant Eagle: Giant Eagles, are immense birds that are sapient and can speak. The Giant Eagles resemble actual eagles, but are much larger with a maximum wingspan of 30 fathoms (55 m; 180 ft). They can speak the tongues of men and birds, can see well enough to pick a rabbit out of a field from the sky, and can perform weather magic. (+2 strength, +3Wisdom)
    • Optional: Write in sub-species

Fantastic! Now that you know who you are, it's time to choose where you are!

You are in a/the:

1. Metropolis: Nothing like the big city! The largest communities of any nation, they are filled with guards and nobles who may not like what you may be doing.
   1. Sewer: Nothing glamorous down here. Here, you should be able to plant and plan to your heart's content. You just have to find a way out…
   2. Undercity: Wretched hive of scum and villany. All the best places for deals to go down and you to get that 'product' you wanted on the down low. If only it wasn't so… criminal.
   3. Slums: Every great city needs them. Can't build the march of progress without some people to build it on. Maybe you could find some worthy servants amongst the uneducated slobs.
   4. Middle Class District: Ahh, merchants. You can get anyone to give you anything for the right price. That is if you have what they want.
   5. Upper Class District: The movers and shakers of the world, or, at least the civilized world.
2. City: Not quite as big as the metropolis, but it will do. It doesn't have quite as many places to live, though.
   1. Sewer: Nothing glamorous down here. Here, you should be able to plant and plan to your heart's content. You just have to find a way out…
   2. Slums: Every great city needs them. Can't build the march of progress without some people to build it on. Maybe you could find some worthy servants amongst the uneducated slobs.
   3. Middle Class District: Ahh, merchants. You can get anyone to give you anything for the right price. That is if you have what they want.
   4. Upper Class District: The movers and shakers of the world, or, at least the civilized world.
3. Small City: You may actually be able to conquer this place. In a year or two.
   1. Slums: Every great city needs them. Can't build the march of progress without some people to build it on. Maybe you could find some worthy servants amongst the uneducated slobs.
   2. Middle Class District: Ahh, merchants. You can get anyone to give you anything for the right price. That is if you have what they want.
   3. Upper Class District: The movers and shakers of the world, or, at least the civilized world.
4. Town: Wow! This place only has one noble family. If you attacked them at night, I bet you could kill them all. You would still have to deal with town watch, though.
   1. Outlying Farms: Congratulations, you found the country hicks and hillbillies.
   2. Middle Class District: Ahh, merchants. You can get anyone to give you anything for the right price. That is if you have what they want.
   3. Noble's Mansion: Are you one of the local nobles?
5. Village: This place is in the middle of bumfuck knowhere. You could probably waltz right in and declare yourself king. Maybe in a couple of years, a knight will come along and try to stop you.
   1. Local populace: The local farmers, local traders, and any other miscellaneous civilians.
   2. Noble's Mansion: Are you one of the local nobles?
6. Wilderness: No civilization around for miles. Also, no toilets around for miles as well. Food for thought.
   1. Forrest: Ancient trees covered in moss. Dappled glades covered in leaves. Rotting carcasses covered in mushrooms. The circle of life.
   2. Grassland: 4ft tall grass for miles in all directions. Did that bit shake over there?
   3. Mountains: Ice and snow and rock and stone. Lots of good minerals if you like that kind of thing.
   4. Valley: Misting waterfalls, sunlit creaks. One way in or out of this hidden place.
   5. River: Broad banks filled with turtles and birds. Some trees and lots of grass. Occasionally, traders will sail by on their ships.
   6. Swamp: bubbling green water, and stinking air. Lots of moss, vines and lichen, you can taste the spores in the air.
   7. Jungle: Massive trees taller than a giant. Ancient ruins buried beneath the dead leaves of ears. Lots of vines and pretty birds.
   8. Desert: Big dunes and lots of rock. Why are you out here?
   9. Island(s): A tropical paradise, with coconuts, turtles and monkey flinging poo. Also, no fresh water. Take a load off and dehydrate.
   10. Ruins: An ancient temple to your god. You have no idea how you got here. The location outside the ruins will be determined with a dice roll. (Could find unique artifact related to your god, 1d100. 1d12, 1 being metropolis, 2-11 being the other wilderness locations, and 12 being within another ruined building. (The roll can repeat))

Spoiler: A/N

All right. 2000 words in the can. fhew. You have 3 choices before you.
1. Which particular god do you serve?
2. What species are you?
3. Where are you at the start of your adventure?
I am going to leave the vote open till Sunday night/ Monday morning. Midnight. I plan for one more chapter before we get into the story properly. The next chapter should deal with stats, traits from your god, and how you will relate to the world you chose in this chapter. (Are you a noble or a tame pet, yada yada yada.) have fun and let me know what you think!