[Interest] RWBY

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EpicEclipse
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Re: [Interest] RWBY

Post by EpicEclipse »

Flynnarrel wrote: Tue Jan 23, 2018 1:18 am Nesh is an elephantine faunus. He's huge, barrel chested with craggy grayish skin and a longish nose that can be wiggled (no in game effect).
Nesh seems interesting. I like the description of how his semblance works. It's very succinct, and makes for easy visualizing. And his weapon, the idea of a very large elephant faunis carrying around something like a bandoleer of flail heads is quite impressive (It's the best way I can imagine him carrying around the replacement heads for his weapon), even though the stopping to be stationary to fire his weapon in trebuchet mode is risky given the high mobility nature most hunters exhibit. Even the "heavies" tend to stay mobile.

There is a sniper shown in season 3, and all things considered, Ruby's Crescent Rose is has a sniper mode as well, so it's not that stationary type weaponry isn't used, I'm just saying it's not used often and usually only situationally.

I'm curious about the name. 'Nesh' seems to just be derived from Ganesha, the stated inspiration. What is Ganpati? The reason I ask if just the Remnant tradition of children being named after colors that has been around for an unstated, but implied long, period of time. Obviously not ALL characters follow this, generally the younger ones. There's nothing wrong with the name, just want to know if there actually is a connection to a color or not.
EpicEclipse
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Re: [Interest] RWBY

Post by EpicEclipse »

Bill from Accounting wrote: Tue Jan 23, 2018 2:42 am My character is a half-Grimm, half-dragon Faunus. Her mother was a Maiden, and when she died her daughter inherited the Maiden powers. She is currently the heir to the Schnee Dust Company fortune. Her Semblance is having lots and lots of Semblances. Also, she has silver eyes.

In all seriousness, I don't currently have a character concept nearly as ready as Flynnarrel or PeterPan have. I'm leaning towards someone based on Midas; gold color motif, with a semblance that causes whatever they touch to become heavy and rigid.
You ALMOST had me while i was reading that first sentence lol. And one should never underestimate the power to make something heavy, http://bleach.wikia.com/wiki/Wabisuke#Zanpakut.C5.8D
PeterPan
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Re: [Interest] RWBY

Post by PeterPan »

EpicEclipse wrote: Tue Jan 23, 2018 2:39 amOverall, very cool character concept. His weapon seems very "high skill ceiling" with lots of versatility, able to defend, attack in melee and at range, and with dust utilize various other possible effects.

His semblance is very cool in concept, but it feels to me like it needs a little tightening up on the targeting. Saying it can remove "properties and concepts" is very VERY vague, and the ability to redistribute it, which is fine on it's own, could be incredibly broken if what he can take isn't reigned in a little.

The ability reminds me of Ban's Snatch ability (From Seven Deadly Sins) and an ability called Despoil form another RPG called Kingdom Come (which is under the Envy abilities), both which take some others something which is not physical. Ban's CAN take physical object, or at least, draw them towards himself, but he can also steal physical attributes, speed, strength, etc, from others, leaving them weakened. Despoil on the other hand, can disrupt someone's connection to something and reattach it to someone else.

This second one is the concerning one because having seen it in action, I know how potentially dangerous it can be. First off, it could disrupt connections to an ability, making the person unable to use it and granting someone else that ability. For a direct comparison, semblances. You could also sever someone's attachment to someone else and reattach that attachment to someone else. What about as concept such as "rank"?

You see what I am getting at? But then you also toss aura in there as viable to take as well, despite it not quite fitting into the category of concept or property in the context of the RWBY universe. Aura is a tangible manifestation of the soul, and in being so is a physical (well, energy-based) thing.

The concept of stealing something that is not physical for yourself and being able to redistribute it is a great concept for a semblance. It fits the Robin Hood inspiration you clearly have for the character, I only feel the what he can take should be tightened up somewhat.
That's a fair analysis. ^^

Hm, in such a case, would it perhaps be alright if I simply altered it to steal Parameters (or rather, Stats, I guess)? So he could steal and distribute Speed, Strength, Durability, Aura, certain subsets of these (Manual Dexterity, Flexibility, Reaction Time, etc), and because this is primarily narrative, perhaps, Luck?
EpicEclipse
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Re: [Interest] RWBY

Post by EpicEclipse »

Well, again, keeping in mind what aura IS exactly and what the ramifications of the use of such a semblance would be. Remember the whole morality question Pyrrha towards the end of season 3 (no spoilers for Flyn who isn't there yet)

Overall, I think the question comes down to what exactly you hope to accomplish with the semblance. You have it affecting people and objects, and theoretically, creatures of grimm. And you are suggesting it be able to take physical attributes, conceptual attributes (like luck) as well as aura itself from people. Basically, what you have is a grab bag of weakening others while strengthening yourself or others with no real limiters in place since it can be used in melee or at range (albeit slower).

That's what I meant by tightening the targeting. Narrow down what he can affect. Narrow down the impact of such an effect, time limit, number of subjects, etc. Those are just suggestions, you can narrow it down in other ways as well.

Like I said, it's conceptually a very cool and fitting idea, but the execution needs to be cleaned up to make it less all powerful.
PeterPan
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Re: [Interest] RWBY

Post by PeterPan »

Alright let's see, I shall restrict and set such things.

This iteration was denied, see next one.
Last edited by PeterPan on Tue Jan 23, 2018 10:33 am, edited 3 times in total.
EpicEclipse
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Re: [Interest] RWBY

Post by EpicEclipse »

Okay..... I am not as much a fan of this iteration. Again, pointing out aura is a tangible manifestation of someone's soul. "stealing" it to give to other people has morality issues that have been raised in the show, which makes it not so great a concept for a semblance of any nature. I was not-so-subtly trying to steer you away from exactly this. The other factor is that semblances use aura to function, so a semblance which allows you to almost endlessly refill yours and others' auras is inherently unbalanced.

I'm not at all saying such a semblance couldn't exist in the world, because I am not the show writer, but for our purposes, it's really just not suitable.

Again, I liked the idea of stealing traits, either from people or objects and redistributing them to someone else. I was more thinking you could limit what he could steal from, and some kind of limitation of how much could be stolen at once (like, a single trait which could be redistributed to a single person), maybe a time limit of how long the trait remains stolen, neither of which you defined originally.

One of the cool things about semblances if they seem pretty defined, even the ones that seem open ended like the bad luck, still is defined in exactly what it does, even if what it does ends up being relatively random in nature.
PeterPan
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Re: [Interest] RWBY

Post by PeterPan »

EpicEclipse wrote: Tue Jan 23, 2018 5:51 am Okay..... I am not as much a fan of this iteration. Again, pointing out aura is a tangible manifestation of someone's soul. "stealing" it to give to other people has morality issues that have been raised in the show, which makes it not so great a concept for a semblance of any nature. I was not-so-subtly trying to steer you away from exactly this. The other factor is that semblances use aura to function, so a semblance which allows you to almost endlessly refill yours and others' auras is inherently unbalanced.
Aye, I caught it probably while you writing that comment. I'm very tired due to a mishap with caffiene and bad sleep scheduling, so please forgive me if I miss things.

I decided to take it a different route, collecting small amounts of the three primary physical parameters on contact, Strength, Speed, and Stamina, and delivering it via the same method cuz I like the aesthetic. That said, I can't see this particular incarnation stealing from inanimate objects particularly well, asides those that might have such attributes.

I am very open to suggestions if that doesn't suit what you're looking for either.
EpicEclipse
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Re: [Interest] RWBY

Post by EpicEclipse »

I was thinking one of the best ways to tighten it up would be limiting what could be affected, so either people/creatures or objects. Objects would have been good for tankiness, people is a little more versatile with more physical traits to steal. Otherwise I'd just consider how limited he is in how long those traits remain stolen and how many subjects may be affected by his semblance, since those are kind of significant details
PeterPan
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Re: [Interest] RWBY

Post by PeterPan »

Phantom Thief: He can grant his aura the ability to steal physical traits from his opponents on contact, and is capable of transferring it to himself and allies through homing orbs of aura, delegating them as he sees fit. They will retain enhancements for about a minute, the orbs stack benefits but have split durations, meaning they'll sequentially lose effect no matter how consistently he causes them. These orbs can be intercepted, and their benefits stolen. Benefits are greater when stolen from stronger, faster, and more durable foes. The more he steals or the more complex the trait, the greater the tax on his aura and the longer he needs to sustain contact. The more complicated the trait, the less he can steal. He can spend aura to sustain benefits he's using, though this is more expensive than gathering an equal number of orbs. When stealing cosmetic traits like hair color, they do no not physically disappear, just as musculature won't diminish from stolen strength. Targets will regain traits they lose with rest.

Weaknesses: Doesn't Affect Objects, Potential Backfire (Interception), Benefits lost when aura is depleted.

Tricks
Faceswap: He can steal somebody's appearance and give it to himself or a friend. This can be sustained with aura, but otherwise only lasts a minute. This does not grant other traits, such as strength, weaponry, or skills. Requires about 3 seconds worth of contact to copy an appearance fully.
Wrecking Balls: He can opt to delegate his orbs to enemy Grimm. Since they have no aura, they suffer bludgeoning damage from the collision, though the orbs disappear. Not practical.
Storage: He can set aside aura for an extended duration of time, in order to store traits for later, however, this will effectively lower his total aura until he uses them and waits for his aura to regenerate. Targets gain their traits back regardless as normal.

Things he can Steal: Appearance (Including Cosmetics like Clothing and Makeup), Height, Weight, Density (Durability), Strength, Footspeed
Things he cannot Steal: Any trait that is not physical, Aura, Objects, Physical Traits of Objects (Including Robots)
MacynSnow
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Re: [Interest] RWBY

Post by MacynSnow »

Here's my Character Concept(sorry it took so long,as i needed to hammer out my thought process)
Image
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxmQKRO ... xmQKROQt5o-Clockwork Vaudville by Steam Powered Giraffe
Name:Albert Alexander Nicknames:Al-Double A's-Mr.Wonderous
Backstory:
Al comes from a long line of Inventors(Specifically Weapon Inventors) and grew-up on stories about his Grandfather&great-Grandfathers accomplishments and adventures.When his Semblence awakened during a Grimm attack,his family sent him to Vale to learn to be a hunter like his granpa&great-grandpa had before him....
Powers/Weapons:
Albert's power is unique in the fact that it allows him to change any weapon/device that he can touch into any Other weapon/device that he knows the Scematics of for as long as he can touch it but must also have the neccessary components on him to make the changes,which only last 10 minutes tops.It also gives him a kind-of "weapon Radar" that let's him tell where every weapon is located within a mile radius of himself as long as he's concentrating....As for his weapon,it's a combination of Sword-Cane&Elephant Gun(He call's it "The Grandstander")which allows him to Slay any Grimm that doesn't have Heavy plate Armor(as long as he can get a beed on it and it remains relatively stationary or moves in a straight line),but the Gun mode has a serious kickback that can break your shoulder if it's not mounted and can only fire 2 shots before re-loading.
Image
Personality:
Al's always tinkering with something(be it a clock in his hand or making an Arm-Guard for his Sword arm),even while resting.One of his Favorite thing to do when not tinkering is to take a long walk through the Park while Eating his Lunch(usually a pickle,Soda and a Sandwich).Tends to be a bit of a show-off and Gadget-man of a group.....
AL's Stats:
20 XP?

Body 1
9
Active 3
Reactive 3
Fighting [Body] (Technical) 1
Aim [Body], (Technical) 1

Mind 5
6
Active 2
Reactive 1
Scholar [Mind], (Powerful) 1
Scholar [Mind], (Technical) 5
Scholar [Mind], (Swift) 3

Soul 3 [6XP]
9
Active 2
Reactive 3
Meditative [Soul] (Powerful) 2
Inquisetive Nature [Soul]. (Technical) 1

Combat stats:
Physical Wounds: 2
Aura Wounds: 8
Aura: 45


Semblance 2 Techno-check <Support control>
6
?

Weapon 3 Elephant Gun/Canesword
3
Melee (Swift) 4
Gun Mode (Powerful), Cumbersome 2
Armour Piercing (Technical) 1

Flaw(s)
Reload Issues <-1 Disadvantage after 2 shots>

[/quote]
Last edited by MacynSnow on Sat Feb 10, 2018 4:13 pm, edited 3 times in total.
kenmadragon
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Re: [Interest] RWBY

Post by kenmadragon »

I'd definitely be interested. I really like RWBY, even if the writing hasn't been the best in the last couple seasons.

Still, gotta wonder about the system being used. I mean, there is a tabletop RPG floating around on Reddit, that might work. But I think I'd need more details on the style of game and what to expect from the the projected plot.
Flynnarrel
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Re: [Interest] RWBY

Post by Flynnarrel »

EpicEclipse wrote: Tue Jan 23, 2018 2:59 am
Flynnarrel wrote: Tue Jan 23, 2018 1:18 am Nesh is an elephantine faunus. He's huge, barrel chested with craggy grayish skin and a longish nose that can be wiggled (no in game effect).
Nesh seems interesting. I like the description of how his semblance works. It's very succinct, and makes for easy visualizing. And his weapon, the idea of a very large elephant faunis carrying around something like a bandoleer of flail heads is quite impressive (It's the best way I can imagine him carrying around the replacement heads for his weapon), even though the stopping to be stationary to fire his weapon in trebuchet mode is risky given the high mobility nature most hunters exhibit. Even the "heavies" tend to stay mobile.

There is a sniper shown in season 3, and all things considered, Ruby's Crescent Rose is has a sniper mode as well, so it's not that stationary type weaponry isn't used, I'm just saying it's not used often and usually only situationally.

I'm curious about the name. 'Nesh' seems to just be derived from Ganesha, the stated inspiration. What is Ganpati? The reason I ask if just the Remnant tradition of children being named after colors that has been around for an unstated, but implied long, period of time. Obviously not ALL characters follow this, generally the younger ones. There's nothing wrong with the name, just want to know if there actually is a connection to a color or not.
Last name derived from 'Ganapati', another name for Ganesh.

Good point regarding the mobility of Grimm hunters. I'll modify it to be just a detachable head and the weapon can be used as both heavy flail and staff-sling (just with huge, explodey ammunition). He could throw the heads but would get more range with the flail much like an atl-atl lets you fling spears so much farther. I wanted the ranged portion to be powerful but having two drawbacks (stationary to fire, and then needing to replace head) was over the top. As it is now having it be useless until 'reloaded' (reattaching a head) seems drawback-y enough to justify a powerful ranged effect.
"Something pithy this way comes."
EpicEclipse
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Re: [Interest] RWBY

Post by EpicEclipse »

PeterPan wrote: Tue Jan 23, 2018 8:12 am Phantom Thief: He can grant his aura the ability to steal physical traits from his opponents on contact, and is capable of transferring it to himself and allies through homing orbs of aura, delegating them as he sees fit. They will retain enhancements for about a minute, the orbs stack benefits but have split durations, meaning they'll sequentially lose effect no matter how consistently he causes them. These orbs can be intercepted, and their benefits stolen. Benefits are greater when stolen from stronger, faster, and more durable foes. The more he steals or the more complex the trait, the greater the tax on his aura and the longer he needs to sustain contact. The more complicated the trait, the less he can steal. He can spend aura to sustain benefits he's using, though this is more expensive than gathering an equal number of orbs. When stealing cosmetic traits like hair color, they do no not physically disappear, just as musculature won't diminish from stolen strength. Targets will regain traits they lose with rest.

Weaknesses: Doesn't Affect Objects, Potential Backfire (Interception), Benefits lost when aura is depleted.

Tricks
Faceswap: He can steal somebody's appearance and give it to himself or a friend. This can be sustained with aura, but otherwise only lasts a minute. This does not grant other traits, such as strength, weaponry, or skills. Requires about 3 seconds worth of contact to copy an appearance fully.
Wrecking Balls: He can opt to delegate his orbs to enemy Grimm. Since they have no aura, they suffer bludgeoning damage from the collision, though the orbs disappear. Not practical.
Storage: He can set aside aura for an extended duration of time, in order to store traits for later, however, this will effectively lower his total aura until he uses them and waits for his aura to regenerate. Targets gain their traits back regardless as normal.

Things he can Steal: Appearance (Including Cosmetics like Clothing and Makeup), Height, Weight, Density (Durability), Strength, Footspeed
Things he cannot Steal: Any trait that is not physical, Aura, Objects, Physical Traits of Objects (Including Robots)
Okay...so the way I am visualizing this, is that he touches his intended target, and forms a bubble which contains the essence of the physical trait stolen, then either absorbs the orb into himself or sends it out at someone else. I would drop the homing and say he directs it manually. It can still be intercepted in this way by someone who is faster than his own reflexes, but "homing" typically requires something to home in on and something to program that homing. If he's manually programming it to go after someone specific, then he may as well be directing it manually, right?

I did like the idea more when he was stealing less actual things like appearance, height, weight, etc and was taking more internal things like strength and speed, but that is in part due to my personal distaste for shapeshifting, which in this context, is exactly what it can be used for. It also leaves to question what happens to the subject's facial features, weight and height? Do they become shorter? does their face become featureless? It just doesn't really fit the "thief" part of the semblance. If his semblance was more about mimicry than theft, then it would make more sense. Otherwise it's going in the right directiona t least.
EpicEclipse
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Re: [Interest] RWBY

Post by EpicEclipse »

MacynSnow wrote: Tue Jan 23, 2018 4:39 pm Image
So his semblance is a sort of weapon sense and manipulation? Not entirely sure how I feel about that given how common weaponry is and the fact it seems to have no real limitation if he can touch the weapon to permanently disable it by having it just fall apart. What knowledge of schematics he knows is widely in the air, so not much of a limitation and easy to circumvent besides, though I would imagine on top of knowing the schematics, he would also have to have the correct parts to construct such a weapon.

All in all, I don't necessarily like the semblance, but I think it can work with some changes.

His weapon on the other hand, the swordcane/elephant rifle is an interesting combination, makes me think of the Reiterpallasch from Bloodborne, but more powerful in the gun shot department. What does concern me about it though is the statement that is can slay any grimm without armor plating, with no further context given. Theoretically any weapon is capable of this, but you don't explain whether you mean in a single hit, and if ALWAYS a single hit or what exactly.

We do see Ruby cut multiple beowolves in half in single sweeps from her scythe, but we also see her have to strike beowolves multiple times to slay them as well, just to explain my point. One shot slayings happen, but we see the same character against the same type of foe have to take multiple attacks to slay them, so consistency is the question.

As for the robotic battle maid, gonna veto that, for two reasons. The simpler of the two is it would be essentially a second character to control which I don't really want. The more relevant reason though is the characters would be going on frequent missions, so he wouldn't have the means by which to be constantly be tinkering with it. Worth also noting, a robotic battle maid is essentially a "weapon", just in humanoid form, which circles back to one of the concerns i have about the suggested semblance.
PeterPan
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Re: [Interest] RWBY

Post by PeterPan »

I swear, I didn't want for this to be so complicated that I needed to rehash it 6 times. T-T

Phantom Thief: Steals attributes from people and monsters, and allows him to give them to others for a limited time. One attribute at a time, split up between any number of targets. More stolen = more cost. Benefits are lost when victim is defeated or aura is depleted.

Done. No fancy tricks or mechanics. No superfluous numbers. Just a narrative ability that does narrative things.
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