2003, Balios (Bah-LEE-ohs), Texas. A medium-sized town that once flowed free with oil, but is now dried up. People born here rarely get the chance to leave, and even then the town drags us all back. Money is tight, but the internet here is cheap, and the old Reiler’s convenience store sells milk, eggs, bread… and firearms, for some reason.
On the surface, there is nothing special about Balios other than its history of violence and rumors of haunting. However, those in occult circles will know that this town has become something called a Hellmouth, the perfect spawning ground for Nightmares, otherwise known simply as monsters. Nightmares, regardless if they are physical, digital, or spectral, or any combination of the three, flock to Balios. No matter where you are in town, odds are there is a Nightmare within 10 meters of your exact location.
Hello, friends, and welcome to the Nightmare Shift! This is a digital/folk horror-lite, anime/manga-inspired urban fantasy roleplay thread, where you can play an occultist, one of the Men in Black, or a monster! No matter what you choose to play, remember that your goal is to have fun and help others do the same.
Wild Hunt Arc
Amatarou Ocha, a local Nightmare Lord, has put out a challenge. There are two Nightmares, Iago and Roadkill Charlie. He wants them broken.
Not dead, but ruined in every sense of the word and left in the alley behind Chunklo's Cat Cafe. You cannot kill anyone during this time or you are disqualified, and at any time Amatarou can send word to "up the pressure," meaning everyone has to put in more effort to make these guys' lives worse. Failure to act will also result in disqualification. Everything else is fair play.
So, what is he giving as a reward? Four supernaturally potent kamaitachi sickles and 10,000 dollars. Whoever causes the most harm to the two while leaving them with their agency and lives gets the prize, but failure to do enough will result in the loot being divided among the greatest punishers.
So, you in, friend?
Rules:
Be kind and respectful, and try not to make others uncomfortable
Talk with others about your characters and their abilities before they come up. I’ve seen problems like this in the past.
My authority, as the author, is absolute.
Put the words “We still have hope” in your first post.
I love your ideas and reserve the right to ask to inculde them in my manga. You have the right to say no, no matter how much I beg.
Try to RP with newer players where you can, and explain the lore to them as well as you can manage.
Specify what time of day each interaction takes place at. I would suggest nighttime, sunrise, or sunset for the majority of interactions, as that's when the paranormal really shines.
Time is not linear here. One interaction at midday and another at midnight can occur at the same time, even within the same quote chain.
Have fun and stay evil, my beloved chickens!
Place all homebrew locations, stats, and lore here so new players can access it easily.
Factions:
Balios Occultists Anonymous Board (BOAB)
A local group of paranormal minutemen who don’t associate with either faction. They have no leader, and basically you guys can do whatever you want with them.
Nightmare Extermination Order (NEO)
Also known as MIBs (Men In Black), this organization is in charge of removing Nightmares from our plane and using their Artefacts to create occult technology for the US Government.
Blackhearts
A group of vigilantes who believe Nightmares deserve to live and be loved like any other creature. Many of them are Nightmares themselves.
Homebrew:
Basics of Humans:
Spiritual Sensitivity. Ah, you’re finally awake! Humans have an SS rating of 0 to 10. Treat your SS rating as your spellcasting/ability save DC ability modifier regardless of your class, with the added consequence that all saves you make against magical effects take a penalty equal to your SS rating.
Level. When a man can get hit by an 18-wheeler and survive, something is up. Humans can be up to level 20, but you must take a point of SS for every two levels you take.
Dark Energy. Power in misery. When in a moment of extreme stress, you can choose to gain 1 point of Dark Energy once per round (no action required). Treat your SS as one higher for each point of Dark Energy you have, but also lose 1 HP for every Dark Energy point you have whenever you fail a save against a spell or get hit with a spell attack roll. You lose one Dark Energy whenever you cast a spell or use some other paranormal action, and you can use your action to calm youself and shed up to 3 Dark Energy.
Paranormal Filtering. Most mortals have a built-in defense mechanism: ignore it, and it probably won’t hurt you. You have an Paranormal Filtering rating equal to 10 minus your SS. If your PF is lower than a paranormal entity or effect’s Dark Energy, you can see it for what it realy is. If it is over their Dark Energy, you are immune to any spells they cast.
Basics of Nightmares:
What is a Nightmare? Can we eat it? A Nightmare is an embodiment of evil and negative emotions, though strangely they need not be evil themselves. They are born from the Nocturne, a turbulent sea of Dark Energy that spans thousands of worlds. It thrashes them against the Beach, the border between our reality and theirs, until they either find purchase on its iron teeth or die, their Artefacts falling back into the sea only to be reborn and repeat the process, becoming stronger with each cycle. Those who survive usually look like distorted version of earthly concepts, much like monsters from folklore or urban legends. A demonic Pikachu in your TV? Sure. A ghost that commands centipedes? Absolutely. Goatman that throws racists off bridges? There are already like six in the area. Anything goes. Try basing it off an urban legend you know, or making one up on your own.
Dark Energy. Your very essence is evil itself. A Nightmare has up to 1 maximum Dark Energy per CR or level you have. Whenever you use an ability that has a limited number of uses or a recharge die, you expend a Dark Energy point whenever you use it. If you run out of Dark Energy, you are transformed into a relatively defenseless monster until you get some more. You regain all Dark Energy on a long rest, and whenever a mortal gains or sheds Dark Energy, you can choose to gain the same number they gained or shed as a reaction.
Magic. This is why it’s called the SUPER-natural. If you have spell slots, you do not expend Dark Energy to cast spells, but you can choose to increase the DC or attack bonuses of your spells by 1 for every point of Dark Energy you expend. You must have at least 1 Dark Energy after using this boost.
Cloak. Sometimes it’s better to be below notice. Whenever you encounter a mortal creature, you can choose to appear as a monster, or you can attempt to disguise yourself as a mortal or become invisible to them entirely. Your Cloak automatically works when you try to disguise yourself, but if you choose to become invisible or they investigate your disguise, check to see if their Paranormal Filtering is lower than your Dark Energy. If it is, you are detected.
Sunlight. Like it or not, you work in the dark. You have disadvantage on all attack rolls while you or your target are in direct sunlight (not in the shade or the dark). In addition, while in direct sunlight, you have vulnerability to all damage.
Spreading Hysteria. It is not your flesh which satiates me, but your fear. You do not need to eat, drink, sleep, or breathe, although it is deeply unpleasant to go without doing any one of those. Instead, you must feed on Dark Energy. When you take a long rest, you are actually collecting Dark Energy to fill your pool. How you do this is up to you, but typically this means either harrassing mortals to induce stress or seeking out Dark Energy just lying around.
Artefacts. And you were worried about your HP. If you die, you drop an Artefact that contains your Dark Arte. Anyone who holds the Artefact can choose to resurrect you by expending 10 Dark Energy, or simply to use it to replicate your Dark Arte perfectly as if it were theirs.
Basics of Dark Artes:
Paranormal Armor. Life is fragile. You are anything but. Most of your HP does not represent physical toughness. It instead represents a sort of supernatural barrier that protects you from harm. A mixture of a sci-fi shielding system and pure luck. When you take damage to all but the last few hit points (twice your level in HP), there is a visible and usually audible effect to show that it hit but did not pierce your Paranormal Armor. When your Paranormal Armor is broken, it is usually flashy and cool. You cannot be physically damaged while you have Paranormal Armor, but you can still experience sensations such as pain through it.
Wards. Paper or plastic? Physical armor is useless in the occult, so you have likely equipped yourself with Wards instead. These function similarly to armor in regular DnD, but instead of harming your stealth, they make you increasingly obvious to occultists. They also grant a bonus to saves against spells based on how extreme the Ward is.
Type
AC
Spell Saves Bonus
Extra
Mask
+2
+1
Must cover your whole face; -2 to damage rolls with False Strikes
Holy/Occult Symbol/NEO suit
13+DEX
+2
Must be visible on your person
Costume/Spooky Cloak
16+DEX (max 2)
+3
Must be visibly occult/weird
Cursemonger’s Garb
20
+4
Makes you look insane
False Strikes. A brutal weapon for a less civilized age. A basic technique that nearly every Arteist knows is how to beat someone to death with a bat. As times changed, so has the art of making weapons out of thin air and Dark Energy. You know how to conjure any weapon you are proficient in, which is shaped as you see fit and uses your Spiritual Sensitivity (if you are human) or your highest ability score (if you are a Nightmare) for its attack and damage rolls. These only deal damage to Paranormal Armor, and cannot cause lasting injury to flesh unless you are a Nightmare attacking a target with a Paranormal Filtering (or in the case of a Nightmare, Dark Energy) of less than half your current Dark Energy. These weapons disappear in direct sunlight.
Sunlight. The light protects, yet diminishes. You can’t cast or be affected by spells while in direct sunlight. If an encounter takes place at Sunrise, it takes 10 interactions (or however many are specified in the starting post) for the sun to fully rise. Similarly, if an encounter takes place at Sunset, it takes 10 interactions (or however many specified in the starting post) for the sun to fully disappear beyond the horizon.
Spell Lists. The game has been changing for a while, hasn’t it? If you have spellcasting, you choose your spell list based on whatever you think makes sense for your character’s flavor. You could be a Wizard casting Spirit Guardians because you have an “Aura theme” while a Warlock could have Spike Growth because they have an “Ice theme” and they’re reflavoring the spikes to be icicles.
Dark Artes. What power system? In this world, powers are called Dark Artes. They count as spells for all intents and purposes, but are completely customizable by the player and do not require spell slots. Humans can have up to two Dark Artes each, while Nightmares can have up to three. Dark Artes from picked-up Artefacts count against the number of Dark Artes you have. If you have more than your maximum, you have to choose which ones to prepare when you finish a long rest.
Dark Artes should be weak, but versatile. This is an RP thread, not a pure combat thread. You can expend Dark Energy to boost their power, but beyond that, anything goes as long as everyone is okay with it.
*What exactly does it mean to look insane with Cursemonger's Garb? My character looks pretty outlandish, but could disguise himself as just an extreme punk. If that doesn't fit then he will have a costume.*
*Here's my first character intro. I can't stay but I thought I'd at least introduce Roadkill Charlie*
Greta Greene crawled down the interstate at a mind numbing, slow pace. The long, straight road stretched from one end of the horizon and vanished into the other and there was not another car in sight. The old woman stared steadily ahead at the dusty road leading to Balios with a flat, lifeless expression on her wrinkled face. Eventually she noticed that she was driving rather slow for being in the fast line, so she flicked the blinker on with a gnarled finger and slid over into the right lane. Just as she was sidling over into the other lane, a crimson streak rocketed by and nearly caused her to drive herself into the ditch. A red six four impala blazed by with reckless abandon, loud music pumping out like a heartbeat of the open windows. She briefly spotted a large black heart painted on the hood of the car before it sped out of sight. It swerved from one lane to the other, driving with no regard for any speed limit or traffic laws. Those darn young'uns! Thought Greta Greene, No thought for the safety of others! Blaring their obscene music as if they wanted to deafen the world! And that boy's hair! It was much too long, much too wild, and--- and much too pink! I saw those tattoos on his arms! Not a thought for his own future or well being had ever illuminated his skull, I'm sure of it! Almost gave me a heart attack! He could have killed me! Where is the world headed with these sort of youth running it?
Miles down the road and barreling down the highway at break neck speed, something not quite natural smiled a cool smile and savored the taste of the old woman's fear. Balios was going to be fun. A whole lot of fun.
*What exactly does it mean to look insane with Cursemonger's Garb? My character looks pretty outlandish, but could disguise himself as just an extreme punk. If that doesn't fit then he will have a costume.*
*Here's my first character intro. I can't stay but I thought I'd at least introduce Roadkill Charlie*
Greta Greene crawled down the interstate at a mind numbing, slow pace. The long, straight road stretched from one end of the horizon and vanished into the other and there was not another car in sight. The old woman stared steadily ahead at the dusty road leading to Balios with a flat, lifeless expression on her wrinkled face. Eventually she noticed that she was driving rather slow for being in the fast line, so she flicked the blinker on with a gnarled finger and slid over into the right lane. Just as she was sidling over into the other lane, a crimson streak rocketed by and nearly caused her to drive herself into the ditch. A red six four impala blazed by with reckless abandon, loud music pumping out like a heartbeat of the open windows. She briefly spotted a large black heart painted on the hood of the car before it sped out of sight. It swerved from one lane to the other, driving with no regard for any speed limit or traffic laws. Those darn young'uns! Thought Greta Greene, No thought for the safety of others! Blaring their obscene music as if they wanted to deafen the world! And that boy's hair! It was much too long, much too wild, and--- and much too pink! I saw those tattoos on his arms! Not a thought for his own future or well being had ever illuminated his skull, I'm sure of it! Almost gave me a heart attack! He could have killed me! Where is the world headed with these sort of youth running it?
Miles down the road and barreling down the highway at break neck speed, something not quite natural smiled a cool smile and savored the taste of the old woman's fear. Balios was going to be fun. A whole lot of fun.
*Think ritual attire, my bro*
*A costume can be any cosplay that makes you feel powerful, while Cursemonger's Garb typically has a crown of candles, nails hammered into one's own flesh, just absurd stuff.*
*hmm… coming up with a character idea… I want them to be powerful, but I also want them to be able to disguise as a human with little effort… perhaps they’d have access to disguise self or alter self to disguise themselves from mortals at the cost of dark energy…*
*hmm… coming up with a character idea… I want them to be powerful, but I also want them to be able to disguise as a human with little effort… perhaps they’d have access to disguise self or alter self to disguise themselves from mortals at the cost of dark energy…*
*You can reduce your Dark Energy without reducing your maximum. It would make you weaker, but you would be able to Cloak better.*
*hmm… coming up with a character idea… I want them to be powerful, but I also want them to be able to disguise as a human with little effort… perhaps they’d have access to disguise self or alter self to disguise themselves from mortals at the cost of dark energy…*
*You can reduce your Dark Energy without reducing your maximum. It would make you weaker, but you would be able to Cloak better.*
*ah, I must have missed that. So they would just have to wait a long rest to be able to do any fun stuff again, or cause extreme hysteria :>*
*hmm… coming up with a character idea… I want them to be powerful, but I also want them to be able to disguise as a human with little effort… perhaps they’d have access to disguise self or alter self to disguise themselves from mortals at the cost of dark energy…*
*You can reduce your Dark Energy without reducing your maximum. It would make you weaker, but you would be able to Cloak better.*
*ah, I must have missed that. So they would just have to wait a long rest to be able to do any fun stuff again, or cause extreme hysteria :>*
*Think of it like just dumping your Dark Energy onto the ground. Anyone else nearby can pick it up if they want.*
[I think I'm actually going to start with a human, just because I can see Nightmares being the more popular choice on this thread! It'll be taking heavy influence from Okarun from Dandadan, because this thread concept aligns perfectly with that]
It's early evening, and Balios High has been closed for many hours, but that doesn't stop one student, Matthew Lanes, or Thew as he prefers, from pursuing his favourite pastime; internet forum debates [what a nerd, imagine doing something like that lmao, couldn't be me] For the last 2 hours he's been locked in a furious debate on the BOAB online forum with one xX_SlugGutz87_Xx over the existence of the infamous Balios Mall Shopping Cart Ghoul, a mysterious, 6 foot hunched creature covered in thick brown hair, that apparently comes out at dusk and herds lost shopping carts back to their homeland of the mall's parking lot. Thew has been firing counterpoint after counterpoint over why this creature must exist, backed up with multiple eyewitness accounts and data-driven reports, though his opponent is not yet to yield. The conversation was going something like this...
ThewPerNatural_21: Clearly you did not read the linked and cited article from 2 pages earlier! It has been counted and demonstrated that the amount of shopping carts in the Balios Mall lot returns to the same, round 91 each morning! And, what's more, this number is inherently supernatural! 9:10 PM is the average sunset time over the last 200 years on the day of June 20th, and on that day, the solstice alignment occurs over Stonehenge, a historical site which is proven to have multiple links to spirits and the afterlife! This is all part of a wider network, you surely must understand! xX_SlugGutz87_Xx: but y tho bro ThewPerNatural_21:typing...
...when the door to the computer lab was swung open, the stream of light from the corridor flooding the darkened room. A janitor stands in the doorway, looking bemused at the scrawny teen sat at the desk, and mutters 'It's half six son...school ended at 3...don't ya want to go home now?' Thew stares back at him for a few seconds, shoots xX_SlugGutz87_Xx a parting message of 'You spelt 'though' wrong', and grabs his bag, hurriedly passing the curious man at the door without a word, accidentally knocks over the mop and bucket, and then walks the wrong way down the corridor, all before finally leaving the school site. It irritates him that he couldn't prove to such a cretin that supernatural influences do exist, but he's got a plan. Soon, he'll prove it once and for all..
The Nightmare Shift
2003, Balios (Bah-LEE-ohs), Texas.
A medium-sized town that once flowed free with oil, but is now dried up. People born here rarely get the chance to leave, and even then the town drags us all back. Money is tight, but the internet here is cheap, and the old Reiler’s convenience store sells milk, eggs, bread… and firearms, for some reason.
On the surface, there is nothing special about Balios other than its history of violence and rumors of haunting. However, those in occult circles will know that this town has become something called a Hellmouth, the perfect spawning ground for Nightmares, otherwise known simply as monsters.
Nightmares, regardless if they are physical, digital, or spectral, or any combination of the three, flock to Balios. No matter where you are in town, odds are there is a Nightmare within 10 meters of your exact location.
Hello, friends, and welcome to the Nightmare Shift! This is a digital/folk horror-lite, anime/manga-inspired urban fantasy roleplay thread, where you can play an occultist, one of the Men in Black, or a monster! No matter what you choose to play, remember that your goal is to have fun and help others do the same.
Wild Hunt Arc
Amatarou Ocha, a local Nightmare Lord, has put out a challenge. There are two Nightmares, Iago and Roadkill Charlie. He wants them broken.
Not dead, but ruined in every sense of the word and left in the alley behind Chunklo's Cat Cafe. You cannot kill anyone during this time or you are disqualified, and at any time Amatarou can send word to "up the pressure," meaning everyone has to put in more effort to make these guys' lives worse. Failure to act will also result in disqualification. Everything else is fair play.
So, what is he giving as a reward? Four supernaturally potent kamaitachi sickles and 10,000 dollars. Whoever causes the most harm to the two while leaving them with their agency and lives gets the prize, but failure to do enough will result in the loot being divided among the greatest punishers.
So, you in, friend?
Rules:
Factions:
Balios Occultists Anonymous Board (BOAB)
A local group of paranormal minutemen who don’t associate with either faction. They have no leader, and basically you guys can do whatever you want with them.
Nightmare Extermination Order (NEO)
Also known as MIBs (Men In Black), this organization is in charge of removing Nightmares from our plane and using their Artefacts to create occult technology for the US Government.
Blackhearts
A group of vigilantes who believe Nightmares deserve to live and be loved like any other creature. Many of them are Nightmares themselves.
Homebrew:
Basics of Humans:
Spiritual Sensitivity. Ah, you’re finally awake!
Humans have an SS rating of 0 to 10. Treat your SS rating as your spellcasting/ability save DC ability modifier regardless of your class, with the added consequence that all saves you make against magical effects take a penalty equal to your SS rating.
Level. When a man can get hit by an 18-wheeler and survive, something is up.
Humans can be up to level 20, but you must take a point of SS for every two levels you take.
Dark Energy. Power in misery.
When in a moment of extreme stress, you can choose to gain 1 point of Dark Energy once per round (no action required). Treat your SS as one higher for each point of Dark Energy you have, but also lose 1 HP for every Dark Energy point you have whenever you fail a save against a spell or get hit with a spell attack roll. You lose one Dark Energy whenever you cast a spell or use some other paranormal action, and you can use your action to calm youself and shed up to 3 Dark Energy.
Paranormal Filtering. Most mortals have a built-in defense mechanism: ignore it, and it probably won’t hurt you.
You have an Paranormal Filtering rating equal to 10 minus your SS. If your PF is lower than a paranormal entity or effect’s Dark Energy, you can see it for what it realy is. If it is over their Dark Energy, you are immune to any spells they cast.
Basics of Nightmares:
What is a Nightmare? Can we eat it?
A Nightmare is an embodiment of evil and negative emotions, though strangely they need not be evil themselves. They are born from the Nocturne, a turbulent sea of Dark Energy that spans thousands of worlds. It thrashes them against the Beach, the border between our reality and theirs, until they either find purchase on its iron teeth or die, their Artefacts falling back into the sea only to be reborn and repeat the process, becoming stronger with each cycle. Those who survive usually look like distorted version of earthly concepts, much like monsters from folklore or urban legends. A demonic Pikachu in your TV? Sure. A ghost that commands centipedes? Absolutely. Goatman that throws racists off bridges? There are already like six in the area. Anything goes. Try basing it off an urban legend you know, or making one up on your own.
Dark Energy. Your very essence is evil itself.
A Nightmare has up to 1 maximum Dark Energy per CR or level you have. Whenever you use an ability that has a limited number of uses or a recharge die, you expend a Dark Energy point whenever you use it. If you run out of Dark Energy, you are transformed into a relatively defenseless monster until you get some more. You regain all Dark Energy on a long rest, and whenever a mortal gains or sheds Dark Energy, you can choose to gain the same number they gained or shed as a reaction.
Magic. This is why it’s called the SUPER-natural.
If you have spell slots, you do not expend Dark Energy to cast spells, but you can choose to increase the DC or attack bonuses of your spells by 1 for every point of Dark Energy you expend. You must have at least 1 Dark Energy after using this boost.
Cloak. Sometimes it’s better to be below notice.
Whenever you encounter a mortal creature, you can choose to appear as a monster, or you can attempt to disguise yourself as a mortal or become invisible to them entirely. Your Cloak automatically works when you try to disguise yourself, but if you choose to become invisible or they investigate your disguise, check to see if their Paranormal Filtering is lower than your Dark Energy. If it is, you are detected.
Sunlight. Like it or not, you work in the dark.
You have disadvantage on all attack rolls while you or your target are in direct sunlight (not in the shade or the dark). In addition, while in direct sunlight, you have vulnerability to all damage.
Spreading Hysteria. It is not your flesh which satiates me, but your fear.
You do not need to eat, drink, sleep, or breathe, although it is deeply unpleasant to go without doing any one of those. Instead, you must feed on Dark Energy. When you take a long rest, you are actually collecting Dark Energy to fill your pool. How you do this is up to you, but typically this means either harrassing mortals to induce stress or seeking out Dark Energy just lying around.
Artefacts. And you were worried about your HP.
If you die, you drop an Artefact that contains your Dark Arte. Anyone who holds the Artefact can choose to resurrect you by expending 10 Dark Energy, or simply to use it to replicate your Dark Arte perfectly as if it were theirs.
Basics of Dark Artes:
Paranormal Armor. Life is fragile. You are anything but.
Most of your HP does not represent physical toughness. It instead represents a sort of supernatural barrier that protects you from harm. A mixture of a sci-fi shielding system and pure luck. When you take damage to all but the last few hit points (twice your level in HP), there is a visible and usually audible effect to show that it hit but did not pierce your Paranormal Armor. When your Paranormal Armor is broken, it is usually flashy and cool. You cannot be physically damaged while you have Paranormal Armor, but you can still experience sensations such as pain through it.
Wards. Paper or plastic?
Physical armor is useless in the occult, so you have likely equipped yourself with Wards instead. These function similarly to armor in regular DnD, but instead of harming your stealth, they make you increasingly obvious to occultists. They also grant a bonus to saves against spells based on how extreme the Ward is.
Type
AC
Spell Saves Bonus
Extra
Mask
+2
+1
Must cover your whole face; -2 to damage rolls with False Strikes
Holy/Occult Symbol/NEO suit
13+DEX
+2
Must be visible on your person
Costume/Spooky Cloak
16+DEX (max 2)
+3
Must be visibly occult/weird
Cursemonger’s Garb
20
+4
Makes you look insane
False Strikes. A brutal weapon for a less civilized age.
A basic technique that nearly every Arteist knows is how to beat someone to death with a bat. As times changed, so has the art of making weapons out of thin air and Dark Energy. You know how to conjure any weapon you are proficient in, which is shaped as you see fit and uses your Spiritual Sensitivity (if you are human) or your highest ability score (if you are a Nightmare) for its attack and damage rolls. These only deal damage to Paranormal Armor, and cannot cause lasting injury to flesh unless you are a Nightmare attacking a target with a Paranormal Filtering (or in the case of a Nightmare, Dark Energy) of less than half your current Dark Energy. These weapons disappear in direct sunlight.
Sunlight. The light protects, yet diminishes.
You can’t cast or be affected by spells while in direct sunlight. If an encounter takes place at Sunrise, it takes 10 interactions (or however many are specified in the starting post) for the sun to fully rise. Similarly, if an encounter takes place at Sunset, it takes 10 interactions (or however many specified in the starting post) for the sun to fully disappear beyond the horizon.
Spell Lists. The game has been changing for a while, hasn’t it?
If you have spellcasting, you choose your spell list based on whatever you think makes sense for your character’s flavor. You could be a Wizard casting Spirit Guardians because you have an “Aura theme” while a Warlock could have Spike Growth because they have an “Ice theme” and they’re reflavoring the spikes to be icicles.
Dark Artes. What power system?
In this world, powers are called Dark Artes. They count as spells for all intents and purposes, but are completely customizable by the player and do not require spell slots.
Humans can have up to two Dark Artes each, while Nightmares can have up to three. Dark Artes from picked-up Artefacts count against the number of Dark Artes you have. If you have more than your maximum, you have to choose which ones to prepare when you finish a long rest.
Dark Artes should be weak, but versatile. This is an RP thread, not a pure combat thread. You can expend Dark Energy to boost their power, but beyond that, anything goes as long as everyone is okay with it.
Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.
*WE STILL HAVE HOPE!*
*We still have hope! Working on a couple character designs right now.*
*We still have hope! Will absolutely make a character for this- I have a few good ideas for what to do, and it's gonna be spooky!*
Former Spider Queen of the Spider Guild, and friendly neighborhood scheming creature.
"Made by spiders, for spiders, of spiders."
My pronouns are she/her.
Web Weaver of Everlasting Narrative! (title bestowed by Drummer)
*We still have hope. I’ll think of something soon enough*
Yo, I'm Himy (He/him) not as active as I use to be, but I'm here from time to time. I don't got much else to say.
"Like a soon to be broken man once said: You're either perfect, or you're not me."
”Be not defeated by the rain. Be not hindered by the wind. Bested by neither winter snow or summer heat.”
Hic Sunt Dracones\
Taking a bit of a break from DDB. Be back before summer
*We still have hope. This looks epic, will think of something.*
Hello! I am a perfectly sane gibberer. Hi! :D
A mysterious link of chain... (Extended signature). PRAISE JEFF THE EVIL ROOMBA! REALLY cool video.
One of the Warlock Patrons on the forums. Low, low price of your soul, your firstborn child and your liver!
Titles: The Echoing Story Spewer from Drummer, the Endless Maws from Isis, the Mad Murderer from PJ
*We still have hope, This looks awesome, I’m making a character*
Check these out: My Imgur Page, My Deviant Art
*We DEFINETLY still have hope!!*
"I loved you then, I love you still.."
[Taken by my blessed beloved]
*(waves arms like a kermit)*
*YYYYAAAYYYY I HAVE TRACTION!*
Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.
*What exactly does it mean to look insane with Cursemonger's Garb? My character looks pretty outlandish, but could disguise himself as just an extreme punk. If that doesn't fit then he will have a costume.*
*Here's my first character intro. I can't stay but I thought I'd at least introduce Roadkill Charlie*
Greta Greene crawled down the interstate at a mind numbing, slow pace. The long, straight road stretched from one end of the horizon and vanished into the other and there was not another car in sight. The old woman stared steadily ahead at the dusty road leading to Balios with a flat, lifeless expression on her wrinkled face. Eventually she noticed that she was driving rather slow for being in the fast line, so she flicked the blinker on with a gnarled finger and slid over into the right lane. Just as she was sidling over into the other lane, a crimson streak rocketed by and nearly caused her to drive herself into the ditch. A red six four impala blazed by with reckless abandon, loud music pumping out like a heartbeat of the open windows. She briefly spotted a large black heart painted on the hood of the car before it sped out of sight. It swerved from one lane to the other, driving with no regard for any speed limit or traffic laws. Those darn young'uns! Thought Greta Greene, No thought for the safety of others! Blaring their obscene music as if they wanted to deafen the world! And that boy's hair! It was much too long, much too wild, and--- and much too pink! I saw those tattoos on his arms! Not a thought for his own future or well being had ever illuminated his skull, I'm sure of it! Almost gave me a heart attack! He could have killed me! Where is the world headed with these sort of youth running it?
Miles down the road and barreling down the highway at break neck speed, something not quite natural smiled a cool smile and savored the taste of the old woman's fear. Balios was going to be fun. A whole lot of fun.
*Think ritual attire, my bro*
*A costume can be any cosplay that makes you feel powerful, while Cursemonger's Garb typically has a crown of candles, nails hammered into one's own flesh, just absurd stuff.*
*Also, epic intro. I love the concept.*
Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.
[We still have hope!]
Xaul Lackluster: Half-Orc Fathomless Warlock: Warlock Dragon Heist
Borvnir Chelvnich: Black Dragonborn Barbarian: Dragons of Stormwreck Isle
Pushover Gerilwitz: Tiefling Wizard: Acquisitions Incorporated
Callow Sunken-Eyes: Goliath Arctic Druid: We Are Modron
DMing The 100 Dungeons of the Blood Archivist and The Hunt for the Balowang!
Killer Queen has already extended this signature, though not by much!
*Character concept: Nightmare of Balios itself. He runs a kawaii cat cafe where he sells bubble tea.*
Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.
*Perfection.*
Hello! I am a perfectly sane gibberer. Hi! :D
A mysterious link of chain... (Extended signature). PRAISE JEFF THE EVIL ROOMBA! REALLY cool video.
One of the Warlock Patrons on the forums. Low, low price of your soul, your firstborn child and your liver!
Titles: The Echoing Story Spewer from Drummer, the Endless Maws from Isis, the Mad Murderer from PJ
*Update: his personality matrix was used to program Amatarou, and he shares the same name and combat techniques.*
Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.
*hmm… coming up with a character idea… I want them to be powerful, but I also want them to be able to disguise as a human with little effort… perhaps they’d have access to disguise self or alter self to disguise themselves from mortals at the cost of dark energy…*
*You can reduce your Dark Energy without reducing your maximum. It would make you weaker, but you would be able to Cloak better.*
Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.
*ah, I must have missed that. So they would just have to wait a long rest to be able to do any fun stuff again, or cause extreme hysteria :>*
*Think of it like just dumping your Dark Energy onto the ground. Anyone else nearby can pick it up if they want.*
Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.
[I think I'm actually going to start with a human, just because I can see Nightmares being the more popular choice on this thread! It'll be taking heavy influence from Okarun from Dandadan, because this thread concept aligns perfectly with that]
It's early evening, and Balios High has been closed for many hours, but that doesn't stop one student, Matthew Lanes, or Thew as he prefers, from pursuing his favourite pastime; internet forum debates [what a nerd, imagine doing something like that lmao, couldn't be me] For the last 2 hours he's been locked in a furious debate on the BOAB online forum with one xX_SlugGutz87_Xx over the existence of the infamous Balios Mall Shopping Cart Ghoul, a mysterious, 6 foot hunched creature covered in thick brown hair, that apparently comes out at dusk and herds lost shopping carts back to their homeland of the mall's parking lot. Thew has been firing counterpoint after counterpoint over why this creature must exist, backed up with multiple eyewitness accounts and data-driven reports, though his opponent is not yet to yield. The conversation was going something like this...
...when the door to the computer lab was swung open, the stream of light from the corridor flooding the darkened room. A janitor stands in the doorway, looking bemused at the scrawny teen sat at the desk, and mutters 'It's half six son...school ended at 3...don't ya want to go home now?' Thew stares back at him for a few seconds, shoots xX_SlugGutz87_Xx a parting message of 'You spelt 'though' wrong', and grabs his bag, hurriedly passing the curious man at the door without a word, accidentally knocks over the mop and bucket, and then walks the wrong way down the corridor, all before finally leaving the school site. It irritates him that he couldn't prove to such a cretin that supernatural influences do exist, but he's got a plan. Soon, he'll prove it once and for all..
Xaul Lackluster: Half-Orc Fathomless Warlock: Warlock Dragon Heist
Borvnir Chelvnich: Black Dragonborn Barbarian: Dragons of Stormwreck Isle
Pushover Gerilwitz: Tiefling Wizard: Acquisitions Incorporated
Callow Sunken-Eyes: Goliath Arctic Druid: We Are Modron
DMing The 100 Dungeons of the Blood Archivist and The Hunt for the Balowang!
Killer Queen has already extended this signature, though not by much!