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An idea I've had to make it more fantasy. It pretty much abandons all the concepts previously put in place. All I really have are descriptions of races. Skip down to races to avoid tl;dr intro
Spoiler: click to toggle Steampunk RPG Because the last version of Steampunk RPG was not too popular, I've taken it upon myself to revise it. After some thought, my revisions are even more than I had thought they would be.
The initial idea with Steampunk was this "less is more" attitude. Much like a poet forces creativity through limitation in a haiku, Steampunk sought the same thing from us. We didn't want a world where all our characters were darting across the planet in days, scattered and separate. We wanted to confine them in one city and let this city take the form of an entire world. We wanted it to have layers upon layers of detail. We didn't want a world with many races, where the basic attributes of every race greatly informed the individual personalities, where any character was prone to be either the stereotypical version of their race or a perfect outcast. Instead, we offered only the human race, an already rich and complex species. We didn't want the main idea - of a world at the height of a massive industrial revolution - to be tarnished by magic, a possibly limitless force. Instead, technology could serve to accomplish what magic might in a fantasy setting.
What resulted was a world only appealing to its creators. To everyone else, it was foreign and difficult. To the people that aren't fond of steampunk, there was nowhere else to turn.
I've thought about how to re-envision Steampunk in way that would make it more appealing without sacrificing the original ideas. That's the problem. Those ideas were its flaw. It was too limiting, too micromanaged. In a RPG, we don't simply play as characters in a strictly ordered world - we shape it.
So with that long intro out of the way, I shall begin furiously typing out the jumbled ideas I have in my head and in the process (hopefully) make some sense of it.
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The original world of Steampunk consisted of a single giant-scale city: Aarnivalkea. While that city isn't going anywhere (except maybe the name?), it is being joined by more cities of various cultures and an entire planet of exploration. Steampunk is a genre that complements fantasy. The closest we have to Steampunk in Earth's history started with the industrial revolution in Europe, which, put extremely bluntly, brought about an end to the rustic countryside life in mainstream culture. Steampunk could easily be seen as the next step of Medieval fantasy.
The world of Steampunk is not entirely Steampunk. Most of it remains classic fantasy inhabited by numerous races and cultures.
Races Humans - Humans are a naturally curious, dextrous and formidable people. The rely greatly on numbers and teamwork to accomplish feats that match and even exceed those of other races. Traditionally outcasts from the rest of the world, Humans are the only sentient peoples not born of magic. They are incapable of of casting magic or harnessing its powers and in most religions they are not even awarded an afterlife. Humans are simply animals that evolved with mental processes similar to those of magical races. In the absence of magic, humans rely instead on technology and machines. Where magic seeks harmony with nature, human technology often works against nature's powers and has been responsible for the clearing of forests, draining of lakes, and fuels that poison the air. From a human's perspective, the world abandoned them and so it is only fitting that they reshape the world where they are in the center. Most Humans live in cities or towns instead of villages. There are three major Human states: Aarnia, Bastion, and Bertholo. Gypsies - Humans who have rejected life in the industrial world. They seek to be at peace with nature and have a great love of dance, art and storytelling. They are often nomadic, but there are some permanent settlements. In normal Human society, they are shunned and not trusted. They, too, counter their inability to use magic by engaging in meditation and spiritualism and in some clans rigorous physical training to achieve perfect mastery of their own abilities.
Emrit People - Large humanoids standing 10-15 feet tall. They are gifted magic users specializing in dream curses, divination, projection, and combat arts. Aside from their height, they appear more or less human, but with greater variety in skin tones such as grey and purple. Their eyes are usually yellow or grey and their hair is usually blonde or white. They live up to 150 years. The Emrit people live in the northern lands of Kotimaa and make their home in mountain caves and some simple towns and villages. Even with the ability to use magic, the Emrit are not at all afraid of armed combat. Emrit warriors show no fear in battle. They have a lust for honor and an admiration of brutality that makes them incredibly fierce opponents. Although they are quite tall, they are agile and quick. What little speed is inhibited by size is made up for by their thick skin that serves as great natural armor.
Gnomes - A magical race of people that stand roughly 3-4 feet tall, a Gnome is an intensely michievous and greedy schemer. They love money to the point of obsession and will sacrifice almost any ounce of pride in order to get it. For this reason, they are one of the only races to accept Humans and live among them. They are often found in Human cities (those that haven't outlawed magic) peddling magical wares (simple ones that don't require magic to operate) or funding fledgeling human inventors and making a profit off their sales. They are natural entrepreneurs and conmen. Outside of Human settlements, Gnomes live in a variety of places and can be found amongst almost any of their races (except the Emrit, who hate them). Their abilities with magic are almost unmatched and they are especially gifted in illusion, telekinesis, alchemy, enchantment, and teleportation ("blinking"). Physically, Gnomes are weak, so they mostly stay out of armed combat. Instead, they use magic, try to outwit their foes, or just plain blink away. It is not uncommon for a wealthy Gnome to have more formidable body guards. The average lifespan of a Gnome is 200 years.
Sídhe - Amongst all of the races of the world, none is closest to magic as this race. Lacking the ability to procreate, Sídhe are all born from the World Tree in the forest of Beannacht making all of them brothers and sisters. They are about 1 to 2 feet tall and appear like winged human children (older male Sídhe can grow beards, however). They can fly effortlessly without the use of their wings (which are used as instruments and have their own unique pattern) and they glow with a dim gold light. At any time, they can morph into a glowing orb which can dart around at great speeds. They live about 50 years and when they die, a grove of flowers grows where they fell, no matter what the terrain. They are charged with protecting the woodlands of the world, although they are independent beings with the ability to determine their own fate. They love music and play and are not ones for business and rules. They have no concept of wealth and hierarchy and fail to see the point of war. Sídhe are incredibly powerful magic users as they are all directly born from pure magic. They specialize in illusion, element control, healing, size manipulation, shapeshifting, combat arts, and rejuvination. Some Sídhe are immensely powerful by themselves, however the true power of their race lies in their powers as a group. In a large group, Sídhe are capable of performing god-like feats of magic. They do not take part in physical combat.
Lelwyn - Lelwyn appear very much like humans with fair skin, blond hair and blue eyes. There is some variation, but not much. They inhabit a region in the north called Dwessen, to the southeast of Kotimaa. Because of this, they share a rich history with the Emrit. Lelwyn are merry folk, disposed to song and wine. However, when angered they go into a frenzy that can cause unintended damages. Because of this, Lelwyn society is structured to be as stress-free as possible and many are educated in anger control methods from a young age. Lelwyn are magic users with specialty in divination, element control, animal communication, herbcraft, and enchantment. In combat they tend to rely upon armed combat with enchanted armor and weapons. They also use magic in combat, but only if necessary. This is because they are clumsy with magic and most of their craft involves ingredients and incantations. They are tolerant of humans, but look down upon their destructive technologies. Lelwyn live in ancient cities that are often visibly built on top of ruins. Their lifespan is about the same as a Human's.
The Iblis - The Iblis (or Akkatians) are an incredibly violent folk from the Akkatian range, a volcanic range on the Akkatian peninsula. These volcanos are mostly shield volcanos, which erupt frequently but not explosively. The Iblis make their homes within the volcanos and in cities ouside (protected by lava ditches). Iblis society is one of incredible violence. Children who display signs of weakness and disability are executed and often children are forced to fight in brutal battles to the death. Parents do not have quite as strong of a connection with their children as most other natures, and if they do it is certainly not shown in public. Iblis children are regularly beaten and tortured. Adult Iblis live in a similarly violent world. Death matches are an easy way to solve disputes and even a slight offence can lead to one. Those who do not agree to fight are imprisoned by the state and sentenced to public execution. Iblis females are slightly more gifted in magic than males, however the males are more physically powerful. Iblis specialize in combat arts, elemental manipulation (chiefly fire and earth), telepathy, and shapeshifting. In large groups, Iblis can change the weather and the skies around their lands are almost always dark and cloudy (also helped by volcanos). Iblis are humanoids with scorched black skin, which is rough and stony and spikes out in shapes reminiscent of flames. Traces of red and brimstone yellow can also appear on their bodies. They have clawed hands and feet, which they use to effortlessly climb walls, and wings which allow they to glide (long distances over fire and other sources of heat). They have no mouths, instead breathing through their nostrils. Their eyes glow red, they stand about 6-7 feet tall, and they have a lifespan of about 120 years. Iblis are naturally resistant to fire and lava, allowing them to live in their harsh envoronment. However, being submerged in lava for an extended period of time could result in unfavorable health conditions. In combat, Iblis are very organized. Though brutal and violent, they do not rush into battles without a plan. In war, they develop attack strategies and often emphasize defense. Even a single Iblis is a force to be reckoned with. They are extremely fast and like to use their claws to slash at enemies. They also attack with weapons when called for. They show no remorse for their enemy and have even been known to gnaw and thrash at their victims' corpses. Iblis have poor relations with every other race. They are mortal enemies of the Sídhe, and if two meet they will almost certainly fight until the one of them falls.
Story Idea Two human nations, Aarni and Bastion, are at war. They've been at war for months, possibly several years. Warfare between the two countries is waged by machines which are fueled and funded by industry. The effect of this is causing great damage to the earth and is even disrupting magic itself, which draws its energy from the earth. This causes concern among the magical nations, all of whom wish to do something, but none of whom have the power to anything alone. However, poor relations between each magical race makes any sort of alliance nigh on impossible. If something is not done, magic itself could be wiped from the world, which in turn could mean certain doom for all who dwell upon the planet.
Edited by Paw, 12 Mar 2012, 12:21 AM.
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