Character Creation / Discussion

Hey folks (or at the time of this writing, folk),

Let's use this thread to discuss characters and the campaign.

Loosely, my sense of this campaign is that it's about the rise of a new Pantheon of Gods. What this could mean is that this is the adventures of a subset of those gods -- it also helps wherein if you don't like how your character is evolving, you can probably easily whip up a new god (don't like playing the God of Speed? well, he can move off into the background and you can bring on that Goddess of Death you were hankering to play with).

I think this gives us the richest framework to hang around a campaign, and the most room to explore (and if I can manage to do an unsucky job -- it can help make the world feel more alive as other godlings make stuff happen around this part of the Afterworld -- sometimes in concert, sometimes in conflict...)

One of the most important first questions is -- do you think you want your characters to know and understand their divinity? Should this be something they're awakening too? For example, I thought that you could have been deposited here through some portal in the Aether by the greater gods of a neighboring realm. Aware of the total chaos that can take hold and erupt in a godless realm such as the Afterworld, they've seeded some of their up-and-comers to see if they can make things right. It's a low risk move and it helps get rid of some of the local riff-raff.

Or -- you can be Joe Blow who wakes up one day to realize you're the God of Death (sorta like Louise Cooper's Initiate series --which I won't spoil further if you haven't read it).

Thoughts? preferences? what kind of god/goddess are you thinking about playing. how did your character arrive where they are, in your mind?

A couple questions while I consider the ones you pose.

1. What's our setting? The setting of Numenera or The Strange? Our modern world? Generic fantasy?

2. Mechanically speaking, can we use material from both Numenera and The Strange?

Gods of the Fall is a different setting to Numenera or the Strange I think types are different compared to Numenera, the Strange, and Cypher System as well. I'd have to see about the last part from the book but I think that might fall into Falryx's question of what we'd like to play.

Some of the mechanics overlap some things wouldn't (Translation abilities wouldn't be used for example), there's also new foci, racial descriptors and new normal descriptors.

As for my answers Flaryx I'll need to crack the book open and figure some things out but I'm up for your suggests or up and coming young gods that are given a challenge as a last ditch hope or possibly a punishment or power play.

Oh, I didn't know Gods of the Fall was its own actual thing! In that case, I might actually back out, not sure if I want to pick up a whole new system right now.

I know about Gods of the Fall. I'm actually a veteran DM of Numenera and have backed every cypher system kickstarter. I'm staying. Just trying to decide on a character. I like the idea of a mortal that is up and coming, and is semi-aware of his role as a new god. However, he has no idea what a god's perspective is and has no idea how to go about it. He may know he's the god of justice in action but he thinks that means righting wrongs when it might mean maintaining the current order of things, including the weather, rather than just society.

I like the idea of being a God of passage of time, either in how things are constant or how things always change. Although there are many, many, many options for me. I would ask if there is a particular place in the setting we would start so I can at least know about that location without reading the whole rulebook cover to cover.

Hey DR - the system isn't different from anything standard in the Cypher System. It uses power shifts (once you get to second tier) and some 'domain' or divine elements that are slightly different/additional -- but ultimately it's the same system as Numenera, just a differing setting. I'll put some resource links elsewhere in a thread for your review. Think of this as Numenera-esque with magic, rather than nano-tech/numenera and the players are gods-in-training and gain some of the benefits -- and obligations -- as a result.

If you opt to back out, I'll totally respect it, but if you're interested in Cypher System, this won't be much different, I don't think. It's largely a setting issue.

I need to re-read the intro adventure to see if I like it. If so, Corso would be the starting point. Elsewhere is potentially a good spot to start, but would be more dependent on the origin story (or stories) we're sticking with. In the Nightlands, however, generally seems like the right starting place.

From the source book, here's the key types:


Champion ("lord of combat") - god of War, Bloodshed or Justice
Shaper ("You master magical abilities outside the experience, understand and conception of others.") - A god of Fire, of the Sea, of the Storm, of Secrets...
Destroyer ("You fearlessly face the unknown, sometimes for the mere joy of exploring exotic places and discovering new things, other times to bring down quarry or acquire something valuable.") - Paragon of the Hunt, Stealth or Night.
Savior ("You soothe souls with words and deeds.") - God of Health, Healing, Wealth or Cities (or Lies, Rebellion and Riot...)

Descriptors

New:
- Beneficent
- Chaotic
- Gluttinous
- Humble
- Lawful
- Wary
- Sleen (racial)
- Taran (racial)

Other descriptors from the core rulebook are likely fine (likely ditto Numenera or the Strange, but let's discuss if you want!).

Foci:


...generally Fantasy genre or some Superhero genre Foci.

Abides in Stone
Awakens Dreams
Bears a Halo of Fire
Blazes With Radiance
Builds Robots
Carries a Quiver
Casts Spells
Channels Divine Blessings
Commands Mental Powers
Consorts With the Dead
Controls Beasts
Controls Gravity
Crafts Illusions
Crafts Unique Objects
Defends the Weak
Employs Magnetism
Entertains
Exists in Two Places at Once
Exists Partially Out of Phase
Explores Dark Places
Explores Deep Waters
Fights Dirty
Fights With Panache
Finds the Flaw in All Things*
Focuses Mind Over Matter
Fuses Flesh and Steel
Grows to Towering Heights
Howls at the Moon
Hunts Nonhumans
Hunts Outcasts
Hunts With Great Skill
Infiltrates
Leads
Lives in the Wilderness
Looks for Trouble
Masters Defense
Masters the Swarm
Masters Weaponry
Metes Out Justice
Moves Like a Cat
Murders
Needs No Weapon
Never Says Die
Operates Undercover
Performs Feats of Strength
Rages
Revels in Trickery*
Rides the Lightning
Sees Beyond
Separates Mind From Body
Shepherds Spirits
Siphons Power
Slays Monsters
Solves Mysteries
Speaks Curses*
Speaks for the Land
Stands Like a Bastion
Throws With Deadly Accuracy
Travels Through Time
Walks With the Night*
Wears a Sheen of Ice
Wields Two Weapons at Once
Works Miracles
Works the Back Alleys

* == new to the Gods of the Fall book.

Additionally, GOTF characters have a "Dominion":

"Ironically, a PC’s initial choice of dominion is the most telling thing about them, while at the same time being the most ephemeral, especially as their dominion relates to game mechanics. The PC’s chosen dominion informs their dogma (their tier 3 Obligation), informs the dominion benefits they choose (starting at second tier), and even more important, might guide them when they decide their type, focus, and descriptor. For instance, if they decide to be a god of Fire prior to making any other choice about their character, it could lead them to choose the Bears a Halo of Fire focus."

I have a table, if anyone is looking for ideas who doesn't have the source book.

To more explicitly answer these questions:
We're in the Afterworld, the setting of the Gods of the Fall sourcebook. I've put some intro text into another thread in the forums. The key thing to think about it is that it's a single continent on the planet. It's pretty "generic fantasy" with the following caveats:

Heaven, literally, fell to earth 40 years ago and wiped out scads of people and the most prominent kingdom. It's left behind a crazy storm and a fractured landscape that has provided access to layers of prior civilizations -- upon which this current world is built (the Deeps).

Beyond the Ruinscape (where Elanehtar fell) is: The Verge -- a wild area peopled largely by orcs and their kin. A rough place. And the Nightlands -- a portion of the continent which is in perpetual shadow/darkness -- with the sun (Avi) eclipsed by the moon 'Nod' that is perfectly positioned above the Nightlands. Think of this as the fantasy version of something dystopian like Bladerunner. It's pretty bleak. If you've got power and money you can basically do what you want. Feel like torturing some poor soul? Pay your indulgence and you're within the law to do so. Ditto with murder, etc. The afterlife -- Soulrest -- is completely mucked up too. With the passing of the gods, the beast that guarded the entrance to Soulrest has gone off half cocked and spends its time devouring souls. Those who don't get eaten get pressed into eternal servitude to some twisted remnant of the gods. It's all pretty bleak.

In short -- it's a world in dire need of some gods. Except no one believes that the gods can/will come back. Or if they do, they need a stern talking to. Or, perhaps they need to be killed because they threaten the new order that the people in power enjoy. It's not an easy place to be a godling without a ton of power....
Mechanically, the best bet is stuff from the core Cypher System book (fantasy, some superhero stuff). But I'm happy to talk through anything in Numenera or the Strange as anyone sees fit. I have Numenera, but I do not have The Strange.

I'm reading through the setting book. I can have a character made soon sometime this week.

Ditto what WP said. I'm familiar with Numenera but need to get up to speed with GoTF. Hope to have something up this weekend.

No rush!

I'll post a calendar -- but I expect over the next week to 10 days we'll be tidying up backstory a bit and getting the framing for the start of the campaign -- but that we won't begin in earnest until the 29th (after I'm back from vacation).

Random seeded character creation method got me Roejk the Brash Shaper who Revels in Trickery. Need to pick specifics but to me it sounds like Loki.

I chuckle at the thought of Remnant-playing-Loki and fear for my sanity. :)

*taps the pads of his fingers together and smiles*
Roejk won't be that bad, he seems like a weaker Pha R'tet if he was more aware and sneaky... you might call it devious.

(EDIT: For an expensive item I was looking for a walking stick that looks like a snake that can coil about Roejk like a scarf)

So I randomly rolled for a dominion and got Thievery, but I'm thinking of rolling again. My second roll was Night. Thievery might be a bit too close to Remnant's character.

Screw it, I'm making a character I like and then choosing the appropriate dominion.

And Dikaios is ready.

I was actually thinking of taking Secrets. I would never purposely steal something...

Business travel ending today, I should be in better shape to pick things up again a bit tomorrow!