DUALISM
Dualism is a sort-of god game with a different focus from most of its kind. Two players take the roles of LIGHT and SHADOW or ORDER and CHAOS, or DAY and NIGHT, who have battled and struggled for control of the world since the dawn of time in an unending cycle. In the last age, they tore the world apart with their armies, champions and touch upon the world, threatening to unravel the fabric of reality itself! Neither side could gain victory, and in the end, they were sealed away where they could no longer touch the world. But now their prisons are weakening, and the cycle begins anew...
The Two begin weak and limited, only touching the world lightly. They must find mortals to do their bidding, their Chosen, who will bring about their release and victory. A millennium has passed and without them, the world has lost much of its glory, living among the ruins of the past age. Many weapons, armies, knowledge, remain buried and hidden, useful tools in the coming struggle.
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This is a game by two GMs (yours truly and Dwarmin) with two different roles for players. Two players become the
Powers, god-like entities from before the dawn of time that have fought to remake the world in their own image for all of eternity. Every cycle, they tear creation apart in their pointless war, but remain at a stalemate.
The Powers are locked in their prisons, but those prisons are weakening. The goal of the game is to break their prison while making sure the other guy doesn't get to do the same. To do this, the Powers can empower mortals to become their Chosen or Influence the world more directly, manipulating storms, causing virulent diseases of the body or the mind, breeding armies of monstrous servants, etc etc.
The rest of the players are said
Chosen, (un)fortunate mortals destined for greatness. The prophecies have foreseen their rise, ancient conspiracies have waited long to guide them to greatness/doom, etc etc. In the Powers' service, they will attain vast power and influence and shatter the seals that hold them imprisoned. Or die horribly somewhere along the way, but their souls can always be reincarnated.
The game is split into Rounds or Seasons, which themselves comprise a varying amount of Turns. Each Round, the Powers act, Influencing the world, raising or communicating with their Chosen, ordering around their creations and plotting the end of their adversary, et cetera et cetera.
The Chosen play on the Turns themselves, in more traditional RPG manner. They have HP. dice, equipment, skills and spells, and they attempt to do their masters' bidding, go on adventures of their own or simply enjoy themselves. The world is full of danger and opportunity, and they're rapidly rising beyond mortal men. They can seek to bring about its salvation or bend it under their iron rule, whichever strikes their fancy. In any case, as they grow in power and/or destroy the seals created a millenium ago, their masters come closer and closer to breaking out of their prisons and winning the game.
The system is simple! As Powers, you gain Influence every turn, which you can use to shape the world and advance your cause outside your prison. The cost of these Acts vary - for example;
- Example: The Power of CHANGE grants one of its Chosen a vision of a forgotten artifact nearby (-1 Influence).
- Example: The Power of LIGHT raises a hundred angelic Lightbringers to protects its prison (-3 Influence).
- Example: The Power of DAWN sends a devastating storm to halt the advancement of a party of Chosen (-5 Influence).
These acts have direct effects on the world, usually manifesting in the beginning of the next Round, but they can also come into existence in the middle of a Round. There's nothing like reversing the tides of battle with a well-timed bout of primordial darkness that drives your monstrous armies into a killing frenzy, and so on. The Powers can also command servants they have created, though not directly control them - sending a spirit of wrath to hunt down an enemy Chosen will ruin their day very nicely, even if it later falls into an obvious trap and perishes away from your guidance.
The Chosen, on the other hand, have health, equipment and all the usual RPG stuff. They have three types of dice - Combat, Action and Magic, with the possibility of gaining Fate dice, which act as bonus dice to anything, from direct grants of power to them by the Powers.
Combat dice are used in, well, combat, as opposed rolls, the winner dealing damage as many times as they surpass their opponent's roll. Action dice are used for anything that's not combat, such as charming someone or climbing a treacherous cliffside. Magic dice are used for magic, mainly casting spells.
Through their adventures, the Chosen will grow in power, advancing Tiers. A Tier I Chosen has only 1 of each die, but gains one to everything with every new level. They may also gain skills and traits according to their exploits - a Chosen who has spent the last two Rounds embroiled in politics could gain bonuses to rolls related to diplomacy and intrigue, for instance.
The main goal of the Chosen on either side is to grow in power, which on its own helps their Powers become stronger, and seek out and destroy the seals to their prisons, which helps a lot more at once, and get rid of their counterparts on the other side. However, they are encouraged to have more selfish and personal goals as well. At the same time, the Powers are free to punish those who they feel have failed them and reward those who please them.
Magic is exciting stuff. The magic system is based around the Seven Sins, and to use magic you mainly cast specific spells. The different Arts of Magic are;
Pride (Superbia): Protection
Lust (Luxuria): Charms, affecting minds
Gluttony (Gula): Creation, conjuration
Greed (Avaritia): Change, transformation (incl. healing)
Sloth (Acedia): Travel, improvement/enhancement
Wrath (Ira): Direct attacks, destruction
Envy (Invidia): Scrying, observation
Spells have a difficulty rating you must pass in order to cast it successfully. Getting twice the needed amount results in the spell being cast as Greater version of improved power and effects. To learn new spells, you must either practice on your own and hope you don't end up setting yourself on fire, or seeking teaching in the world.
NOTE: You are only half of an opposed duo that must be, well, opposed. DAY and DAWN are not opposed, DAY and NIGHT are. You'll have to agree on these or put it to a vote.
Power: What your half of the dualistic Powers is called. For example, DAY opposed to NIGHT, LIGHT opposed to DARKNESS, CHAOS opposed to ORDER, and so on and so on. Feel free to go for the classics, though you are not expected to act 'good' or 'evil' even if you literally are GOOD and EVIL.
Remnants: You have 12 Points. See options below. You could, for example, take two IMPRISONED CHOSEN (-8 Remnant Points) and SECRET CULTS (-4 Remnant Points) to start with, or any other combination. By all means describe them in more detail if you can.
Remnant Choices:
These are things of the past age that have remained, one way or another, into this time the Powers now awaken in.
4RP: IMPRISONED CHOSEN (In the past age, you gathered many into your service. The most loyal – or the most dangerous – were imprisoned with you, and have remained within for this long millenium. Grants Tier 3 Chosen at beginning.)
4RP: SECRET CULTS (Your worshippers and followers in the past age were great and widespread, and not even the passing of time has fully erased your memory. In the night, secretive cults further their agenda in your name, venerating the Chosen of the past and awaiting your return.)
2/4/6RP: REMNANT BOX/COFFIN/VAULT (Many things of the last age were hidden for the next cycle just before the end. Powerful weapons, armies, tools and other creations that still remain, unchanged and in secret, to be reclaimed by your servants. Describe thing(s) found inside. Different costs for different sizes of stasis container.)
6RP: TOUCHED LAND (Around your prison, the land belongs to you. Your power is much greater there, and your servants will be pulled towards at it, while others will try to keep away. Can only be taken once.)
4/8RP: REMNANT RACE (Long ago, a servant race was fashioned to do your bidding. They still remain, in the remote places of the world, awaiting the chance to carry out your will once more. They will be called to you from the moment you wake. Different costs for scattered survivors/hidden army.)
8RP: RELIGION OF EVIL (In times past, you were worshipped by the multitude of your servants. A fragment of that remains, an established religion known to many still spreading your word, however twisted by time.)
CONSERVE POWER (Allocate Remnant Points into a reserve of Influence to be used directly - cannot take more than 4RP.)
NOTE: You can just claim a Chosen spot and be given an unfortunate mortal to take over. Keep in mind the Powers will choose which mortals, if any, to turn into Chosen after the first batch.
NOTE 2: Players who wish to be Imprisoned Chosen, if taken as Remnants, will write their backgrounds accordingly.
Name: Nothing silly. This is a large fantasy world, with many different cultures, so go wild.
Gender:
Description: Both appearance and personality would go under this.
Background: Keep in mind that you are young and inexperienced. Gameplay-wise, you have no skills to speak of at game start. Otherwise, go wild - you can be a simple and naive farmboy (classic!) or the neglected daughter of an archmage, etc etc., whatever you wish. We reserve and value the right to use any and all lore and plot hooks you come up with here that we might use. Linking your background with another player's is a possibility here.
We'll be taking (obviously) 2 Power players and 6 Chosen players.
Chosen Players1. Shootandrun
2. Filex
3. adwarf
4. Knave
5. IamanElfCollaborator
6. monk12
You'll probably have questions I'll be happy to answer.
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Topic: Dualism - a Pseudo-God Game of Heroic Fantasy and Eternal Conflict [Started!] (Read 12472 times)