Distorted View

20XX

When we were younger, my Grandmother used to tell us stories about the ancient magic buried deep within the confines of our world. I used to believe her. We were just kids – the world was supposed to be full of magic for us. As we grew up, we learned that reality has a way of crushing those fantastical dreams and stories. We all slave away at dead end jobs, live day-by-day, and search for a purpose amidst the tragedy. Scared. Alone. Trying to connect with those around us but separated by downcast skies and teardrops on cold concrete. All of us just caught in the middle. I never wanted to view the world this way, but how could I not? My Grandmother lied to us: there isn't magic in this world. There never was.

. . .

Take a look through the eyes of a child.

Things are not what they seem.

. . .

Secrets of the World

Details to come...

I moved to Brooklyn permanently when I turned twenty-one. Right after I graduated from Ava Collins University. Grandma had been dead for two years by that point. Moving, to me, seemed like the easiest way to escape the memories of home – it got me away from her old ranch-style house that smelled of lavender and dust and put me in the middle of a massive city. I went from knowing everyone by name to hardly remembering my apartment number. It certainly took some getting used to, but it had not been the biggest trial. It was a blessing, actually.

It gave me two years to learn new surroundings. To thrive on my own without worrying about what my parents would say. Most of all, it taught me that the real world stretches far beyond the confines of school. College had not been a breeze, but it did not compare in the slightest. I learned more in those two years about scraping by and holding my head up than most people back home learned in their entire lives. New York was a cruel mistress, a strict teacher but a generous one.

I rarely wandered outside Brooklyn if I could help it – my café job and apartment were well within a few blocks of one another. The local market was not too far from there either. I could live secluded in my own little pocket of New York. And I chose to do so; the rest of the world, even at twenty-one, seemed to me to big a challenge. But I did wander on an off occasion. When I did, I usually took the train and found my way to Times Square. From there it was only a short walk to the library.

It seemed like a normal off day for me.

I never expected what would come from a trip to the library.

. . .


– – – – –

Alrighty~

Hello and welcome to Secrets of the World, a shiny new statplay with totally different mechanics! (Cue: Oohs and Ahhs). We're not talking energy or spirit or mana or any of that. In fact, a lot of things have changed to accommodate the system shift. Here's what a standard profile looks like:

Character Profile wrote:Name: Self-explanatory.

Age: Again, self-explanatory.

Gender: Really?

Appearance:

Spoiler:

Level: The character's current power level. Every unit starts at level 1.
Experience: The measure of a character's growth. Every unit starts at 0/12.
Capability: This measures the unit's growth in learning traits. After a character gains enough Capability they gain a free trait slot. Capability starts at 0/25.

Laterality: Your character's dominant hand. Ambidextrous is fine as well, although there are certain advantages to choosing one or the other.
Equipment: Here's where things shake up a bit. There are six different types of equipment to run into in Secrets of the World. Each generally deals with a different stat or attribute. This is just an overview.

Head: Equipment units wear on their head usually revolves around hit rate and statuses that affect perception.
Torso: Equipment units wear on their torso provides the main line of defense from both physical and magical attacks, leaning toward physical in most cases. Torso equipment also tends to revolve around damage reduction and statuses that affect action.
R. Hand: The Right-Hand holds the character's weapon of choice or can contain hand accessories like bracelets, rings, etc. Accessories tend to revolve around offensive attributes as well as critical hit rate and luck. Note: Both hands are taken up by 2-handed weapons without a proper trait.
L. Hand: The Left-Hand holds the character's weapon of choice or can contain hand accessories like bracelets, rings, etc. Accessories tend to revolve around offensive attributes as well as critical hit rate and luck. Note: Both hands are taken up by 2-handed weapons without a proper trait.
Legs: Equipment units wear on their legs provides a secondary line of defense from both physical and magical attacks, leaning toward magical in most cases. Leg equipment also tends to revolve dexterity and statuses that affect movement.
Feet: Equipment units wear on their feet usually revolves around evasion rate and miscellaneous status effects.

Trait Points: Trait Points represent the units ability to take on different traits that can appear in battle. Each Trait has a specific number of Trait Points attached to it – characters can equip any number of traits so long as the total Trait Points equals or is less than their total Trait Point distribution. All characters start with ?/10 Trait Points.

Traits: Traits are what makes each character unique. They are the heart and soul of the character's ability to do battle. Traits can take on a variety of effects and, in certain combinations, become a versatile and deadly arsenal. There are four different types of traits: Innate, Active, Passive, and Reactive. Each unit starts with one pre-defined trait and three empty slots which players may fill as they see fit. Some traits come across in the roleplay could be pre-defined while others are learned/created – typically pre-defined traits are not as powerful as others, but pre-defined traits rarely use as many Trait Points. Examples and further details will be provided below the character sheet.

+Strike – A basic form of assault with one's weapon. Innate Trait. Enables the unit to utilize a Basic Attack dealing damage dependent on their equipped weapon. 2 TP.

+? – . ? Trait. ???. ? TP.

+? – . ? Trait. ???. ? TP.

+? – . ? Trait. ???. ? TP.

Desperation Trigger: Desperation is a powerful set of traits that are unveiled under specific circumstances and added to the equipped trait list for the duration of its effect. Desperation is locked at the beginning of the roleplay. More on that when we get to it!

Stats:

SP: Equivalent to Health Points, SP stands for Stamina Points. When SP hits 0 a character is considered KO and unable to continue doing combat.
AP: Equivalent to Mana Points, AP stands for Ability Points. When AP hits an unusable amount a character is unable to utilize certain traits.
Str: Equivalent to Attack, Str stands for Strength. Strength determines how much physical damage a character can dish out.
Grd: Equivalent to Defense, Grd stands for Guard. Guard determines a character's ability to stave off physical damage.
Img: Equivalent to Intellect, Img stands for Imagination. Imagination determines how much magical damage a character can dish out.
Mnd: Equivalent to Spirit, Mnd stands for Mind. Mind determines a character's ability to stave off magical damage.
Dex: Equivalent to Evasion Rate, Dex stands for Dexterity. Dexterity determines a character's ability to evade attacks launched at them.
Luck: Luck determines a character's interaction with probability-based events – whether the character is under a string of good or bad luck can sway how these events play out.
Move: Move stands for Movement. This determines how far a character can move on the map under normal circumstances.

Spoiler:

So let's get down to some detailed explanations!

1.) Traits

As mentioned in the character profile, Traits define your character and what each unit has the ability to do in battle. Traits come in four types: Innate, Active, Passive, and Reactive.

Innate Traits: Traits intrinsically linked to the character. This could be as simple as an affinity for a certain element or as complex as a charging system. There are no limits... except for the amount of Trait Points it takes up. Generally, Innate Traits are small yet helpful bonuses which help define baseline properties of your character. As such, Innate Traits tend to utilize small amounts of TP, are the most common, and cost the least to buy/upgrade.

Every unit starts with the Innate Trait: Strike, which allows the unit to perform a Basic Attack based on their weapon. There are, however, others. Here are a few examples:

+Thick Skin – Toughened by years of hard manual labor. Innate Trait. Increases the user's Guard by 1. 1 TP.

+Flame Spirit I – The first binding of one's soul to the power within burning fire. Innate Trait. The user's Fire Damage Output is increased by 10% and the user takes 10% less damage from Fire-elemental attacks and abilities. 2 TP.

+Shadow Stalker – Melded with the shadows – darkness helps to ensure one's safety. Innate Trait. Increases the user's Dexterity by 5% and enables the user to go Invisible by only taking a Wait action on a given turn. 4 TP.

Active Traits: Traits that must be physically brought forth. These are equivalent to A-Abilities in most statplays. They can have a variety of different effects or conditions, and are unique in that most of them (but not all) require the expenditure of Ability Points to use. Because of this they are the most variable in terms of TP costs, however, they are also the second most common and don't cost too much to buy/upgrade. A few examples:

+Double – A quick hit followed by another. Active Trait. 100% Str Damage. 2 Hits. Range: Adjacent Cell. 5 AP. 2 TP.

+Feral Strike – Mimicking a wild animal's assault, the user lashes out at the target. Active Trait. 75% Str Damage. 3 Hits. Small Chance of Bleeding. The user must be equipped with Claws. Range: Adjacent Cell. 8 AP. 3 TP.

+Giga Fireball – Conjures forth a massive torrent of flame into a mighty ball of fire before chucking it at the target. Active Trait. 160% Img Damage. Chance of Burn. Range: 3 Cells. 12 AP. Fire Elemental. 4 TP.

+Rest – Stops a moment to recharge. Active Trait. No Damage. The user recovers 15% Max AP. Range: Self. 3 Turn Cool Down. 5 TP.

Passive Traits: Traits that support the character. Similar to Innate Traits, Passive Traits help support the character's playstyle. These could consist of minor stat increases, bestowing positive statuses, or changing the way some traits interact with one another. The difference between Passive and Innate Traits comes down to a matter of strength (Passive Traits > Innate Traits) and the ability to be stilted, or removed in some cases, (Passives can be dispellable, utilize turn limits, or be otherwise toggleable) by other units. Passive Traits are slightly more expensive TP-wise than Active Traits, are harder to come across, and cost a fair amount to buy/upgrade. Some examples include:

+Power Boost – Releases dormant power flowing within one's veins. Passive Trait. Upon activation, the user's Str is increased by 40% for Two Turns. 3 TP.

+Belief in the Impossible – Fantasy becomes reality with a little faith. Passive Trait. The user enters battle with Faith status for Three Turns. 4 TP.

+Blood Drinker – Saps the very life from foes. Passive Trait. This unit recovers 3% Max SP each turn this unit deals damage to an enemy.  Traits that drain or absorb equivalent SP have their effects increased by 20% passively. 6 TP.

Reactive Traits: Traits that cause the character to respond to stimuli. Reactive Traits are by far some of the most complex in the system. They can do just about anything from countering an attacking enemy to causing other traits to behave differently. Because of how powerful they are, Reactive Traits cost the most TP, are incredibly rare to come across, and are expensive to buy/upgrade. A few examples include:

+Counter – Strikes back at an attacking foe. Reactive Trait. Unleashes a Basic Attack with the user's equipped weapon when attacked. 5 TP.

+Heat Wave – The body radiates inhuman levels of heat causing those that draw near to feel the burn. Reactive Trait. When an enemy enters a surrounding cell of the user, there is a chance the enemy will be afflicted with Burn. Stacks to Severe Burn if activated on a target that already has Burn status. 7 TP.

+Teleport Switch – Pulls a few strings as far as the physical plane of reality is concerned to switch places with something before damage can be done. Reactive Trait. When attacked by any means, the user may switch places with either another ally or an inanimate object on the battlefield after damage calculation. 9 TP.

Because each unit only has a certain number of Trait Points available to them at any given moment, only a select number of their acquired Traits may be equipped. Traits must be selected prior to any battle and are denoted by an asterisk (*). Traits may not be switched mid-battle except for in the case of Desperation or the use of an item.

2.) Weapons

Weapons work a little bit differently in Secrets of the World than they do in most statplays. In Secrets of the World every character can equip any weapon from the start. No Traits are required to pick up a weapon and use it. Like any RPG, however, no weapon is equal. A longsword has different advantages and disadvantages than a bow or a mace or even a dagger. As such this is expressed in terms of individual weapon attributes, including Basic Attack damage.

Each weapon is unique. A sword might deal 100% Str damage per hit BA whereas a dagger might do 70% Str damage per hit BA. One's Gut reaction probably dictates this as create an unfair advantage to using the most power weapon, but whereas the sword deals out a standard 100% Str basic attack, a dagger carries a lighter weight and, therefore, easier maneuverability. Even then these are just examples. Each weapon is different in its own way and there's no one obvious choice over another.

Weapons don't inherently boost stats. They just dictate how your damage is calculated. Some may offer stat bonuses but nothing stays even across the board.

Starter weapons will be fairly basic. And our characters won't even start with them to begin with – so don't worry about it too much.

3.) Other Equipment

Unlike weapons, the other equipment does play a small role in how your stats are laid out. They offer small bonuses to help beef up your natural assets.

If it wasn't obvious from the small bit of story at the top of this post, our characters are fairly modern people. They live in the same world we do. Not all of us are decked out with a hate, accessories, and super flashy stuff. Don't send in a totally dressed to the max profile. There'll be plenty of equipment to go around once we get to the good stuff.

4.) Stats

Every character starts with the same basic stat layout. 15 SP/AP and 2 for every other stat. To differentiate your character, you are all given 18 Stat Points to distribute amongst the 8 stats you have control over – SP, AP, Str, Grd, Img, Mnd, Dex, and Luck. These are the only stat points in the entire game so spend them wisely. There are some items to permanently boost stats, but they are few and far between.

In addition to the 18 Stat Points you have to assign, you are also granted 350% to distribute amongst the same eight stats. This percentage represents your growth percentage and dictates the likelihood that your stats increase from level to level. SP and AP innately go up by 5 per level whereas all of the other stats go up by 1. You can, however, supply more than 100% in any given stat to give it a chance to go up by 10 or 2, respectively. Technically, you could also give more than 200% for more, but then only that one stat is likely to go up at all...

Please put these percentages in parentheses next to your stat distribution.

The only stat you do not have control over in any way is Trait Points. Every other level Trait Points will increases by 3. There are items to increase this, but, like permanent stat boosts, these are few and far between.

. . .

I ask that y'all please bear with me on the mechanics. This roleplay will kind of be trial and error as I test this new system. I think it will be really fun to play, but may not go perfectly smoothly. I promise I'll do my best to make it as enjoyable as possible!

Thanks! :)

Here is an example profile:

Name: Samuel "Sammie" Harvelle

Age: 21

Gender: Male

Appearance:

Spoiler:

Level: 1
Experience: 0/12
Capability: 0/25

Laterality: Left-handed
Equipment:

Head: None.
Torso: Navy Hoodie- Simplistic blue hoodie that helps keep the wearer warm in cold weather. (-3% Ice Damage Taken)
R. Hand: None.*
L. Hand: None.
Legs: Distressed Jeans- Fairly standard pair of jeans that have a couple tears and holes in them.
Feet: Tennis Shoes- Pretty basic pair of footwear.

*Barehanded: 100% Str Damage Basic Attacks. The user may land 2 hits if their Dexterity is higher than the target's.

Trait Points: 10/10

Traits:

+Strike* – A basic form of assault with one's weapon. Innate Trait. Enables the unit to utilize a Basic Attack dealing damage dependent on their equipped weapon. 2 TP.

+Expansive Knowledge* – Quickly and easily absorbs what one is learning from the surrounding environment. Innate Trait. Increases Img and Mnd by 10% passively. 2 TP.

+Mind Blast* – Evokes one's inner power to assault the target with the sheer energy dwelling within the user's active mind. Active Trait. 110% Img Damage. Small Chance of Confusion. Range: 4 Cells. 6 AP. 3 TP.

+Flow of Inspiration* – Continuously pushed by creative thoughts and inspired to go further with one's talents. Passive Trait. The user recovers 2% Max AP at the end of each turn. 3 TP.

Desperation Trigger: *LOCKED*

Stats:

SP: 20 [40%]
AP: 35 [60%]
Str: 4 [25%]
Grd: 3 [40%]
Img: 7 [70%] (+1 from Expansive Knowledge)
Mnd: 5 [60%] (+1 from Expansive Knowledge)
Dex: 3% [30%]
Luck: 3 [25%]
Move: 3 Cells