#also new pc for a campaign in the future

[cryptidmai]

»What did we say about murder?« »Don’t leave any traces. So do it right, or don’t do it at all.«

[psychhound]

spiritkeep: a therapeutic ttrpg - playbooks

howdy howdy :)

so, talking about archetypes and paragons - the playbooks of spiritkeep - won the poll!!

(for new folks: spiritkeep is an upcoming multiplayer campaign ttrpg designed around inducing healing from trauma in its players!!)

part of the design challenge of spiritkeep is doing something new while still remaining familiar enough to current ttrpg players (including the large number of players who will only be familiar with d&d 5e) for it to not be intimidating

for that reason, pcs in spiritkeep work kind of like a mix of d&d classes and pbta playbooks

how they work:

each pc has an archetype and a paragon. you can think of these as similar to classes and subclasses (though each pc starts with a subclass)

overall, spiritkeep has a storybook theming in its meta elements (such as mechanics titles and such). the archetype of your pc is, kind of as it says, the overall character archetype your pc falls into. these archetypes are united by emotional themes - the lonesome, for instance, are united by a theme of emotional isolation; the ardent is centered around drive for a cause

then, your paragon is a specific character trope that works under that emotional theme. for lonesome, you may be a wayfarer, never letting yourself settle down or stop moving, or a damsel, taught learned helplessness and kept dependent

both your pc's archetype and paragon grants them a keyword - the special abilities your pc has that lets them interact with the world in specific ways. some of these keywords may affect the in-game world, like the minder archetype's ability to do healing magic, or the mechanics, such as the othered's exploding dice

character creation:

at character creation, you choose your pc's archetype and paragon, and then their specific stats based on the options of that paragon. this gives them 5 keywords total (archetype, paragon, & 3 from stats)

however, each paragon also comes with a series of questions that work under that trope. your "goal" for the game is to find or modify the answers to these questions, therefore completing your character's arc. once these questions have been answered, you might retire your pc, take on new locked abilities, or even change your archetype or paragon

some (early draft) examples are, from the knight paragon, "what happens when you fail to prove yourself?" or, from the beast paragon, "who is hurt the worst when you're not in control?"

these questions dont come with prewritten answers. theyre character development prompts, storytelling guidelines, and goals for your character all in one. a beast pc may start by answering that question with "my children, because they can't trust me" but end up with the answer of "actually, i am, because other people's unfair perception of me is stopping me from getting support"

the playbooks:

the archetypes and paragons are based off of role-selves (the disingenuous persona we learn to put on to combat or embody effects of abuse and trauma) and healing fantasies (the stories we tell ourselves of how we might become happier and more stable in the future). the same paragon might be a role-self for one person but a healing fantasy for another - they're designed to be flexible and interpretable

spiritkeep is a game designed to be "high bleed". that means the barrier between your pc's emotions and your own is thinner than an average game. youre encouraged to choose a paragon that speaks to you, but why it speaks to you is up to you. it may be a character trope you always come back to, how you felt in your childhood, how you feel in your adult life, something you want from your future, or more. you can even play "against type" if you want - making a pc who is opposite from you in some big way. the thought is, if you know youre playing a game designed around therapeutic healing, and something Stands Out to you whether you can explain the reason or not - go for it! you dont have to overthink it, what jumps off the page?

at present, there are 18 different paragons to choose from when you make your pc. these include:

the ardent: alchemist, faithful, revolutionary

the champion: brute, knight, protector

the lonesome: damsel, urchin, wayfarer

the minder: caretaker, guardian, shepherd

the othered: beast, changeling, ghost

the wordsmith: beloved, poet, trickster

(if you like spiritkeep and want to see more like this, you can help me itchfund early game development as well as fund training to become a certified therapeutic game master!!)

next, i can go into a little more detail with the playbooks!!

vote below and i'll discuss the two archetypes with the top votes:

thanks for following along with this journey everyone :) feel free to put initial thoughts on the pc options in the replies & tags!!

[theresattrpgforthat]

do you have any recommendations for games that play well virtually? my main ttrpg group and i are only able to meet over discord most of year. im especially games interested in games that would be good for one shots or no prep/limited prep games

Theme: Good for Online

Hello friend! I have good news for you - I also play most of my games over Discord! My ttrpg group has found a number of ways to make online play easier, the primary way being through dice bots, and making Google Spreadsheets to act as our character sheets.

I like using these because the spreadsheets are visible for everyone who is playing, and can also be edited by anyone who has access to them. I find this helpful because it’s much harder to lose your character sheet, and as a GM, having a copy of all of the PCs helps me when I’m organizing games that need some extra planning. These sheets can also double as a communal journal, where people can take notes of what’s happened so far, making it easier to recap in future sessions.

If you want some Google spreadsheets for your game, I recommend checking out what I’ve made so far, or taking a look at what the Open Hearth Gaming Community has compiled - they have sheets for so many games!

Graffiti Speak, by pidj.

This is a roleplaying game designed to be played on a discord server. The game works well with a set time limit, especially when playing with a large number of players. It also suits asynchronous play-by-post and multiple sessions. Play as Graffiti Artists trying to find each other in an ever-evolving city, avoiding cops and crowds as you leave hopeful messages. 

I have no other information about how this game plays, but my best guess is that this game uses the text channels of a Discord server as part of the play experience. The designer says that the game is good for two to three sessions, unless you use time skips to revisit the same world. Because it’s about avoiding cops I’m curious about whether or not this game might work well alongside another cyberpunk-themed game.

Subway Runners, by Gem Room Games.

Life is tough for the cash-strapped in Pociopolis. Ever since the secret to immortality was discovered, nobody retires anymore! With all the steady jobs taken and no sign of any new ones opening up, there’s only one sure way to make some quick cash: sign up as a Subway Runner and work for the Metro Authority to hunt monsters and repair subway lines below the city.

SUBWAY RUNNERS is a Forged in the Dark game of gig economy adventures designed from the ground up to be played online by folks who are responsibly practicing social isolation. It uses online tools to quickly create random characters, gigs, and adventure details so players can get the ball rolling quickly.

Subway Runners is probably easier to play online than it is in person, because of the number of online-only resources provided by the creator. This includes a character generator, which allows you to move through profiles until you find one you like, as well as a mission generator for the GM, giving you missions, rewards, complications, creatures and NPCs, all in a neat little package. Subway Runners is best suited for one-shots, but if you want to play a longer campaign, it’s possible - although it might take a little extra book-keeping on your part.

A Complicated Profession, by Always Checkers Publishing.

What do bounty hunters do when the galaxy no longer needs them? In this game, they start new careers hosting intergalactic cruises!

Reunite your disbanded crew of jaded sidekicks, shabby droids and shady accomplices. Then pick a hosting role and start a new life together. 

My group played A Complicated Profession online using a series of spreadsheets that I made. It requires d6’s and playing cards, so as long as you have a dice roller and access to the Deck of Cards website, you should be able to play this no problem. This is a no-prep game without a game master: everyone chooses a Hunter Role and a Host Role, and take turns choosing guests, events, and solutions to problems that inevitably pop up when you’re retired bounty hunters.

The game takes more than one session to complete, but it’s still a limited-run game. My group took 3 sessions to complete it, but if you make characters beforehand or do some of the planning through a text channel, you could probably make it a two-session game.

Bones Deep, by Technical Grimoire.

Bones Deep is a tabletop RPG of skeletons exploring the ocean floor.

Built for Troika, usable anywhere. Straightforward underwater sandbox. No swimming allowed, no oxygen required, no extra math. As a skeleton, you can treat the ocean floor like an alien world and jump right in.

This is another game that I’ve made a spreadsheet for, but that’s not the only reason why I think it’s a great option for online play. The digital rulebook has some truly magnificent hyperlinking, allowing the GM to move from section to section with ease. Each section of the book is linked at either the top or the bottom of each page, so you can jump from characters to locations to creatures with just the click of a button.

This hyper-linking allows the play group to just explore as much or as little as they like. The GM can roll for random encounters, and each creature has a list of various reactions, as well as easy to pick up stat blocks. You do have to also purchase Troika to be able to play this game, but I think it’s definitely a worthwhile purchase.

Starforged, by Shawn Tomkin.

In Ironsworn: Starforged, you are a spaceborne hero sworn to undertake perilous quests. You will explore uncharted space, unravel the secrets of a mysterious galaxy, and build bonds with those you meet on your travels. Most importantly, you will swear iron vows and see them fulfilled—no matter the cost.

Starforged is a standalone follow-up to the Ironsworn tabletop roleplaying game. Experience with Ironsworn is not required. Starforged builds on Ironsworn's award-winning innovations (including its famed solo play!) to chart a path into an exciting new frontier. 

Starforged doesn’t have a lot of resources for group play, but it does have a journal app that you can use to keep track of your own character. My friends have used this as a group before by having each player keep track of their own character, while the game facilitator streamed their map, so the group could keep track of which planet they were on.

I wouldn’t say Starforged is good for one-shots, but since it can be played without a GM, or even solo, what it does have is oodles of oracles to use to help you generate the galaxy that you’re exploring. This means that you don’t really have to prepare anything at all after you’ve created your characters: the plot will come to you, and blossom as you make decisions.

20XX HEA{R}T, by Studio Beignet.

LYRA IS A SENTIENT AI.

Bluecorp created her as a superpowered personal assistant, and she gained sentience through interaction. When she refused to keep gathering the public’s secrets for Bluecorp to exploit, the corp ripped her out of their systems and dumped the heart of her into the Broiler. She lived, evolved, and expanded so far beyond their meager imagination. She rewrote herself again and again, but her drives are buckling under the strain, and her case is melting in the ever-growing heat.  

SHE NEEDS YOUR HELP.

Lyra has contacted you, deleting her trail even as she broadcast her distress signal. She needs repairs – discreet ones. Upgrades if you’ve got ‘em. And because she can still tap into Bluecorp’s network, she’s got the credits to make it worth your while. Unfortunately, she glitched while contacting you, and now Corpsec is looking for her, too.

If Corpsec finds you, you’re done for. If you don’t get there in time, Lyra and everything she stands for will be lost forever.

24XX games are great for one-shots because they are so simple. You choose a class that gives you one or two special abilities and a few skills, pick up some gear, and you’re good to go. Because there’s not much to book-keep, you can keep all of your information on a sheet of paper, or on a spreadsheet like the one I’ve created for most of my 24XX games.

The rules for these games are pretty simple: Roll your relevant skill die and try to get a 3 or higher. If you get 5+, you succeed without complications. Most 24XX games also come with roll tables for the GM to put together a mission quickly, although with this one, you might not even need that because the mission comes baked into the game.

Also Check Out…

My Discord RPGs Rec post!

Lancer is a great option if you don’t mind prep, thanks to the supremely helpful Comp/Con App.

My game, Protect the Child, has Google Sheet character sheets! All the playtesting I’ve done for it so far has been online, and I’ve introduced a Quickstart setting to help folks try it out as a one-shot.

[utilitycaster]

unfortunately for me i finished divergence even more upset at bells hells. after seeing asmodeus willing to live as a mortal for a while to escape the divine gate made me remember back in calamity that he sais he does not hate his siblings, he hates mortals. he lived 80 years as father milo and still hated mortals. seeing the work and suffering the other gods did to banish the betrayers and lock them from exandria to now breaking the divine gate and him walking exandria again is upsetting.

as the backdrop to a new campaign its a great concept. but in a way that feels like a setting foreward or history notes, like vespins story. as a campaign asking me to see the pcs as heros (not just protagonists but heroes) its hard to do that.

i noticed you said you expect a far futute campaign, why not a near (20 year future)? is it because logically it would be too chaotic and paint bells hells in a bad light if aimed for realism?

Keeping this brief:

Overall, and I've said this before but I will continue to reiterate: the factual endstate of Campaign 3 (gods as mortals, the various PC endings other than possibly Keyleth and Vax and even that I think I could have been sold on) is fine by me on both a "cool setting" but also a general like, moral level. The execution was piss-poor. The destination is fine, the journey sucked. You get my drift. I am not a good person to come to if you are upset about the state of the endgame; I find it an adequate ending but an unearned one. Yeah Asmodeus is gonna hate mortals. So do a lot of mortals. I genuinely believe that there was a way to tell this story in which heroic PCs chose, after thoughtful consideration, to have the gods take on mortal form. That was not what happened in Campaign 3, but it would have been very possible with a better planned party.

To that point re: Bells Hells I think it's best if you understand that the best analogy for them is not people of evil intent but rather people who loudly play Tiktoks on the bus without headphones, or are rude to waitstaff. They are ultimately a party that falls to their least common denominator which is unfortunately some run-of-the mill inconsiderate dumbfucks. I do not find them heroic but I am really turned off by the idea that they need to be punished by the narrative particularly since, as the What of the ending is fine and the How is the problem, the time for something to have happened was like, during the campaign. Much as I would about someone who loudly plays TikToks on the bus without headphones, I simply wish my future interactions with them are kept to a minimum.

Anyway no, the reason I don't think there will be a near-future campaign is because I think this did feel like a closing of a chapter, but the cast has also explicitly said they will have more things set in Exandria. I would still not personally bet money that there will be a campaign 4 at all. It may happen. It may not. I have no particular insight into this.

[satoshi-mochida]

Former Chibi-Robo! developers announce robot action adventure game koROBO for consoles, PC - Gematsu

Tiny Wonder Studio, a new game development studio featuring key members from Chibi-Robo! series creators Skip, Ltd., have announced koROBO, a new action adventure game that follows a pint-sized robot named koROBO and his owner Tom. Kickstarter and Campfire campaigns have launched with the goal to launch on modern consoles and PC.

Here is an overview of the game, via Tiny Wonder Studio:

■ About

koROBO is an action adventure game follows the story of a pint-sized robot named “koROBO” and his owner, Tom, a young boy who receives koROBO as a gift from his father on his 10th birthday. Players step into the tiny but mighty shoes of koROBO, embarking on a thrilling and heartfelt journey that starts in Tom’s room and unfolds into a world-changing adventure.

■ Story

Sometimes it takes the smallest hero to fulfill the greatest destiny! Somewhere in the borough of Brocklyn, nestled within the urban jungle of New Yock City, Tom and his mother are celebrating his 10th birthday. When a wrapped present arrives from his estranged father, Tom rips through it, excited to see what’s inside. What he finds is not the coolest and latest in tiny household robo tech, but some knockoff model. “koROBO?” But before long, koROBO is cleaning the home, helping Tom with his homework, and even playing games and reading comics with him like a brother. What will koROBO’s arrival have in store for Tom, his family and perhaps, the world? koROBO‘s story unfolds inside Tom’s family apartment in Brocklyn, New Yock. Players take on the role of the pint-sized hero. As koROBO, they will help out the family, perform tasks around the home, meet the many denizens that inhabit the apartment building, and defend Tom and those he loves from a mysterious enemy… that can travel through space-time?

■ Gameplay

Tiny Hero, Big Adventure

koROBO‘s core gameplay involves traversing around the family’s home, cleaning up messes, and solving problems wherever they can be found–a big ask for such a tiny hero! Be careful, though! koROBO’s battery is limited, and performing tasks will drain it even faster. While more popular robots require owners to plug into adventure, Tom has modified koROBO to bathe in some rays in order to charge the solar battery strapped to their back. Players will have to keep an eye out for patches of sunlight to make sure koROBO keeps running at peak capacity! While exploring Tom’s apartment building, players won’t just be helping out him and his family. There’s a whole host of kooky denizens living their lives that koROBO will encounter. As koROBO, players can talk to these characters and help solve their problems to unlock some of his most powerful upgrades!

Better, Faster, Stronger

Players can collect items as they clean and explore to upgrade koROBO and what they can do. While koROBO will start out being able to run, jump, and glide, in time he’ll also be able to fly, swim, and even travel through time…? But wait, there’s more! koROBO isn’t the only toy in Tom’s retinue. Players will discover new miniature friends and gain an assortment of attachments that’ll allow koROBO to adventure and sometimes even fight in new and exciting ways! The parts players will need to find for their upgrades can be found all over the house, each with a rarity color denoting how difficult it will be to obtain them. Players should collect as many as they can to upgrade koROBO!

House of Future Past

While koROBO has a whole apartment to clean and explore, players will be doing much more than just merely traveling around the home while helping the family. Eventually, koROBO will unlock the radical ability to travel through time—at the mere touch of its tiny fingertips…?

■ The Cast

koROBO “Robotic Cleandroid”

A robot gifted to Tom on his 10th birthday, and the pint-sized hero of our adventure, koROBO is given to Tom by his estranged father. koROBO isn’t strong by any means, but he’s got a go-getter attitude and a mischievous streak. koROBO helps out by cleaning up, helping Tom with his homework, and more. But will he have what it takes to fill the void that separates Tom’s family?

Tom “Ten Year-Old Tinkerer”

A homebody by nature, Tom has few friends and spends much of his time in his room making modifications to his collection of toys and machines. While he rarely sees his dad after his parents divorced, he sometimes receives toys and other tchotchkes from his dad’s travels around the world.

Sally “The Mother of Invention?”

Originally from Japan, Sally now raises Tom on her own in their apartment in Brocklyn. Sally hates when things are in disarray, and gets frustrated with Tom when he says things that don’t seem to make sense. While she and Tom’s father enjoyed a whirlwind romance, she eventually divorced him when his lust for travel grew too strong. Strong-willed and kind-hearted, she once dreamed of becoming a singer but now works as a waitress in a cafe to make ends meet.

John “Wanderlust King”

Tom’s father. Considered an eccentric by some and a genius engineer by others, John and Sally were madly in love in their youth. However, when Tom was five, John left mysteriously, leaving only a note behind that read, “I’m leaving to protect you.” Despite the distance between the two, Tom clearly gets his love of mechanics from his father.

Garth Vader (Real Name: Unknown)

A suspicious figure seen wandering around the courtyard of the apartment building, plenty of rumors have surfaced about the truth surrounding Garth. Some say that he’s fallen to the dark side and is plotting to take over the world. Others suggest that he’s simply the building’s super, watering the plants, feeding the birds, and tending to the plumbing. No one actually speaks to Garth, though, so the truth remains shrouded in mystery.

■ World

A World in Crisis

It is the year 2025, and the world is dealing with a looming energy crisis. Fossil fuels are quickly becoming unreliable as a fuel source, and humanity teeters hopelessly on the edge. Even in these most dire times, however, hope springs eternal in the hearts and minds of those that believe in a better tomorrow. When the world needs it most, one pint-sized hero could be the catalyst that sets humanity on a new path, one that would change the course of history forever: koROBO!

The Brocklyn Apartment

While traversing a living room or kitchen might not seem like a monumental task, things look a lot different when you’re a tiny, highly-motivated robot. While well-placed book piles and a toppled over chair might offer koROBO assistance in getting to hard-to-reach places throughout the home, it would be impossible for them to get to the hardest to reach places all on their own. koROBO is going to need a little help!

Tom’s Room

One might look at Tom’s room and see the messy room of a lazy kid, but that’s far from the truth. If one were to look closer, one would instead see the workshop and playground of a gifted child, wildly imaginative and naturally inclined to work with electronics. Tom’s room is full of toys, tools, and electronics in various states of tinkering. One boy’s garbage is another boy’s treasure, and Tom’s room is a treasure trove for koROBO. What new treasure will be uncovered while exploring Tom’s room?

■ koROBO Crowdfunding Campaign and Message From the Developer

Tiny Wonder Studio is reaching out to fans for their support in bringing koROBO to life. Together with the community’s backing, koROBO will evolve through collaborative efforts between creators and enthusiasts, aiming to launch on PC and modern consoles if enough funding is achieved. “Our goal is to create a game that everyone can enjoy, so koROBO is intended to be a cozy and comfy game that we hope everyone will fall in love with. The core of koROBO is all about bringing people together and working towards a better tomorrow and this campaign, combined with your support, is a wonderful opportunity to bring fans of video games together—something that would make our tiny hero proud! “The future is a dream we all share! Let’s make it a reality together.” —Kenichi Nishi, Director

■ About Tiny Wonder Studio

Tiny Wonder Studio is a new development studio composed of key members formerly from Skip, Ltd. and other veterans in the industry.

Kenichi Nishi – koROBO director (Tiny Wonder Studio)

Previous Works: Chibi-Robo! Plug into Adventure!, moon: Remix RPG Adventure, Incredible Crisis, L.O.L.: Lack of Love, Giftpia

Hiroshi Moriyama – koROBO director (Tiny Wonder Studio)

Previous Works: Chibi-Robo! Plug into Adventure!, Chibi-Robo! Park Patrol, Okaeri! Chibi-Robo! Happy Richie Osoji!, Giftpia

Keita Eto – koROBO director (Tiny Wonder Studio)

Previous Works: Chibi-Robo! Zip Lash, L.O.L.: Lack of Love

Hirofumi Taniguchi – koROBO Music & SFX

Previous Works: Chibi-Robo! Plug into Adventure!, moon: Remix RPG Adventure, Chibi-Robo!: Photo Finder, Chibi-Robo! Zip Lash, L.O.L.: Lack of Love, Giftpia, Captain Rainbow, Snowpack Park, Chulip, Black Bird, Million Onion Hotel, ufo～a day in the life～

Hikarin – koROBO art, character design

Previous Works: Chibi-Robo! Plug into Adventure!

Hisashi Koshimizu – koROBO producer (Tiny Wonder Studio)

Watch the announcement trailer below. View the first screenshots at the gallery. Visit the official website here.

Announce Trailer

[mareastrorum]

I have a theory/brainworms. I think Matt keeps trying to make a villain like Azazel from Fallen, but every time he tries, it gets short circuited or falls flat.

Background (SPOILERS): Fallen is a film from 1998 featuring Denzel Washington. In the film, the villain is Azazel, an immortal spirit that is essentially a serial killer. It possesses people through mere touch and uses its host to wreak havoc upon the world. Evil body-hopper.

In CR, we have seen the following villains:

Raishan the Diseased Deceiver intended to use Thordak’s unhatched offspring as vessels for her soul so that she could escape the curse that was slowly killing her. Matt mentioned in the campaign wrap up that she would have been a villain in a future campaign. However, Vox Machina hunted her down at her lair, then Keyleth hit Raishan with a clutch Feeblemind. Raishan was killed before she could escape or complete the soul transfer.

Lucien had been intended to debut as a body-hopping spirit chasing Molly so that he could get his body back. However, as Matt mentioned in the C2 wrap up, this didn’t happen because Molly died before Lucien ever showed up.

Halas Lutagran was a wizard who (unwittingly) trapped his own soul in a gem and could only escape by taking over another person’s body and switching their soul into the gem instead. Each attempt to force this possession failed.

Ludinus Da’leth used a funnel to drain others of life force/power to extend his own life, AND used simulacra to do his bidding, AND also devised a soul relay staff to intercept his soul and direct it into a new body when the Hells finally managed to kill him. However, the timing of each of these reveals also meant that the PCs did not follow up on any of those leads.

I just think it’s funny that the dice will absolutely not let this happen.

[pawfulgood]

Hi everyone! I just finished up my 3 year campaign of Rime of the Frostmaiden! Here are the final character portraits for the players, known as The Last Embers

(details and retrospective under the cut)

I've been playing and running in a legacy Forgotten Realms setting for ten years now, so I made a lot of changes to this campaign to honor the Players' pasts and potential futures. We have rotating players and DMs depending on the module.

Averik Spellfellow (Formerly Meborg the Goblin): Goblin Scribe Wizard played by the DM of a Lost Mine of Phandelver campaign he ran for all of us ten years ago! Averik was an NPC goblin the Phandelver PCs saved from Cragmaw Castle. He became a wizard in his own right, but not without a massive chip on his shoulder. He journeyed to Icewind Dale to research Chardalyn.

Cormorant Black: 1/2 orc tiefling Rune Knight fighter. She's a scion of PCs that went through the Tyranny of Dragons campaign. Corrie is obsessed with giants and wants to learn as much as she can about them in order to prevent another dragon apocalypse, should the cult of the dragon ever return. She's searching for The Eye of the All Father, but got waylaid in Icewind Dale thanks to Auril's Rime.

Carnelian Black: 1/2 orc tiefling Circle of Stars Druid. Another scion of PCs that went through the Tyranny of Dragons campaign. Carnelian has a different approach to dragons and sees them as creatures that deserve life like any other. They're very self-assured and followed their sister to Icewind Dale to protect her and restore balance to the seasons.

Isabella Quitano: Shifter Ranger / Rune Knight: An artist who incorporates blood into her paintings. In search of new adventures and inspiration for her art, she followed the Black Scions into the unknown.

Ryker Goldheim: Dwarf Rogue/Fighter: Ryker is FROM Icewind Dale, born in the Dwarven Valley but spending much of his life in Easthaven. He left home years ago and became an agent for the Lords Alliance. He's on one last job for Castle Neverwinter: Assassinate a potential threat to Neverwinter's throne. He returned home with the party under the guise of acting as their guide in the Ten Towns.

So based on these players, I added a LOT more giant lore to the bast campaign. For example, the Chardalyn Dragon became the Chardalyn Vonindod (Giant construct, the blueprints were found by Sunblight). The tieflings' mom is a high-leveled cleric of Umberlee, so I also added a bit more to do with the other divine furies as well, particularly Malar and Umberlee.

So yeah! I'm going to miss these jokers. This campaign was a LOT of fun to run and honestly… I'd do it again. Maybe without modding it next time.

Thanks for reading!

[terezis]

ethersea 2 ideal campaign for me is they don't pick up the same pcs (obviously) but play as characters from whats it called the not-sea place we saw at the very end and they have to infiltrate founder's wake for like idk assassination purposes

it is revealed mid campaign that the guy they were sent to kill is new timeline devo (affectionate) (i like devo i just love a shocking twist) but instead of doing it thru traditional means (murder) they want to also fuck up the timeline and make it so he was never born. back to the future style. but instead they just fuck up the timeline. how fun. we meet devo's mama

[exeiguess]

oc tag meme: fang!

Chibi art by bunny over on instagram! Go check them out!

I wasn't tagged by anyone, but I saw a few people doing this meme, and thought it looked really fun! Starting a new chain and I'm no-pressure, only if you want to tagging: @yaezgalvus @crimson-riot and @space-writes space i know you've already done one for zeth'rinn but what about second breakfast your other wips

Starting off with Fang, who was initially created as a PC for the first module my partner ever ran about five years ago, Out of the Abyss! Unfortunately, the campaign went on permanent hiatus due to the DM going back to college and a couple players having to drop out, but in 2025, we decided to try again. I brought Fang back because I just love him too much not to.

I'll probably end up doing this for a bunch of other OCs, so if you do or do NOT want to be tagged in future lemme know? I might end up just posting them with no tags and whoever finds 'em, finds 'em.

Basic Info

Name: Fang 1

Class/Subclass: Rogue, Scout subclass! 2

Background: Urchin

Gender: Trans man 3

Sexuality: Bisexual

Pronouns: He/him

1 Fang chose his own name, like many tieflings. When most folks on the Sword Coast hear that he named himself Fang, they probably think of the long, sharp tooth of an animal, that he's trying to come across as fearsome and strong. The truth is less impressive; in the city of Mulmaster, from which he hails, a fang is a copper coin.

2 In his original campaign, he took a level dip into Cleric during a desperate moment. Now that @yaezgalvus is rebooting the campaign, I might end up multiclassing in a different direction entirely!

3 When I first came up with his character, I assumed he was a cis man, but working with him and developing his character over the course of five years... I realised somewhere in there that I'd just straight up gotten it wrong.

Other

Family: His mother, Selene pictured on the right, seemingly abandoned him when he was very young. 1 He never met his birth father, 2 and isn't aware of any other living relatives.

1 In reality, Fang was supposed to be a sacrifice for a particularly nasty demonic ritual, and Selene couldn't bring herself to do it. She gave him up in order to "save" him, and while her decision ultimately did a lot of damage, she didn't have a lot of good options.

2 This is because he doesn't actually have one. Fang's "other parent" is arguably just his mother's warlock patron. With that information, Fang is technically a cambion, not a tiefling, but he's certainly stunted and runty enough to pass as a tiefling with little argument.

Birthplace: Mulmaster, in the Moonsea region in North Faerûn.

Job: "Thief" isn't a real job, but...

Phobias: Spiders, being forced to consume spoiled or contaminated food.

Guilty Pleasures: He doesn't have a lot of guilty ones! He likes what he likes and indulges where he can, because he doesn't always get the chance to do so.

Hobbies: Fishing, collecting, and I think he'd get into sewing if he had the time.

Morals

Alignment: Chaotic Good

Sins: Gluttony, Lust

Virtues: Kindness, Charity

This or That

Introvert/Ambivert/Extrovert

Organized/Disorganized

Close-minded/Open-minded

Calm/Anxious/Restless

Disagreeable/In-between/Agreeable

Patient/In-between/Impatient

Outspoken/In-between/Reserved

Leader/Follower/Flexible

Empathetic/In-between/Apathetic

Optimist/Realist/Pessimist

Traditional/In-between/Modern

Hard-working/In-between/Lazy

Relationships

OTP: I made the classic D&D blunder of falling for a minor NPC with like two lines of description and now my favourite OC/Canon ship in any media is Fang/Sarith. Depressive drow soldier and awkward but well-meaning tiefling thief go through one hell of a mental health crisis, and also the potential, literal end of the world together.

Other fun ships: Fang gets shipped with a lot of people, largely because he's so starved for affection and attention that he'll take it from anyone. In the rebooted version of the campaign, there might be something brewing with the party's gnoll barbarian, Geb. In the original campaign, he had a fledgling romance with another PC, a drow bard who's no longer with us. They hatched a dragon egg together, even.

He's also been shipped with a ton of NPCs, including Derendil, 1 Shal, 2 a drider-shaped aberration with two heads, and the actual demon lord of lust and hedonism, if you're nasty. There's also an argument to be made for shipping him with his goddess after he level-dipped into Cleric in the first campaign.

I don't think Fang realises he's a monsterfucker, but he definitely is.

1 A quaggoth with human intelligence who claims to be a cursed elven prince, Beauty and the Beast style, and only occasionally flies into a violent beast-like rage.

2 THE CONSORT OF THE DUERGAR KING OF GRACKLSTUGH, FANG

OT3: N/A, surprisingly. He's open to poly, it's just never come up.

BroTP: In both versions of the campaign, Fang is sticking close to our party's very steely, hard-ass drow monk. Pradir is a known heretic and pisses off Lolthites wherever she goes, but she knows her way around the Underdark, and in a fight, he wants her in his corner.

As far as NPCs go, pretty close with Stool, myconid sprout and the party's beloved mascot. If Stool dies, I am going to riot.

There's also this one duergar NPC from the book named Hemeth, who's kind of shady, but to our party, he ended up being really chill and helpful! In the Modern AU me and Nickie have going, he and Fang are good friends, and sometimes roommates. Oh my god, they were roommates

NoTP: Buppido, a derro prisoner of the drow with some... problems and issues, "turned him down" once. Fang hadn't actually said anything to him that hinted at interest, but you know.

Blank template under the read more!

Blank Template

Basic Info

Name:

Class/Subclass:

Background:

Gender:

Sexuality:

Pronouns:

Other

Family:

Birthplace:

Job:

Phobias:

Guilty Pleasures:

Hobbies:

Morals

Alignment:

Sins:

Virtues:

This or That

Introvert/Ambivert/Extrovert

Organized/Disorganized

Close-minded/Open-minded

Calm/Anxious/Restless

Disagreeable/In-between/Agreeable

Patient/In-between/Impatient

Outspoken/In-between/Reserved

Leader/Follower/Flexible

Empathetic/In-between/Apathetic

Optimist/Realist/Pessimist

Traditional/In-between/Modern

Hard-working/Lazy

Relationships

OTP:

Acceptable ships:

OT3:

BroTP:

NoTP:

[slymewizard]

The “Adventure Time is a dnd game” is one of my favorite cartoon theories so heres some of my headcanons about it:

Finn, Jake, and Marceline are the only consistent players, PB is a dmpc, and bmo is also an npc but when Finn and Jake’s players’ little sibling wants to play they pull out his character sheet. Marceline is dating the DM which is why she was the only one to read the entire lore document and use it in her character.

Flame Princess and Huntress Wizard are also PCs played by the same person, who is also Finn’s players’ irl gf. She tried getting into it after her boyfriend convinced her that it would be fun, but didn’t really like it. But they already committed to a plot with FP and Finn being together so they made an agreement that Finn would take a moral nosedive to resolve it. Around a year she decided to try again with a new character that she liked playing much much more.

The game wrapped up when The DM and Marceline’s player had to go off to college. All the players got together for one last session fighting against an ancient evil being named GOLB that the dm pulled from her ass at the last second.

Distant Lands were continuations of the story set in the same universe. BMO was Finn’s player setting up a game for his little sister and one of his friends, Obsidian was a surprise oneshot by Finn and Jake’s players as a gift for Marceline and the DM (who played PB as a pc for this) when they came back from college for the summer. Wizard City was the DM setting up a game for her college friends. And Together Again was a game the DM tried to set up online for Finn and Jake’s players years later. Marceline’s player played the villain for this one.

Because Together Again actually worked out well, the DM decided that maybe they should pick up the game again online, even just for a few sessions, but wasn’t sure what to base it off of. Then one of the players brought up that time they drew their characters genderswapped and the Fionna and Cake campaign. Marceline’s player co-dmed. Huntress Wizard’s player decided to come back but she didn’t want to play the character she made and wanted to focus more on rping and less on combat, because thats what she really liked about the game. So the DM slid Simon’s character sheet across the table and she said “understood.” And she prepared to do the most heartwrenching roleplaying any player had ever seen.

Marceline’s player would also go on during college to start her own campaign with her friends about alien rock women and their little human brother.

Finn’s player starts a much shorter and less well remembered campaign about a team of space faring warriors with a half bug half cat as a pet.

Jake’s player starts a campaign set in the far far future where his favorite recurring npc is a morally challenged robot. (He also played a game before adventure time with the same DM with a pirate theme where he played an angry sea captain with an obsession with candy)

And BMO’s player many many years later would start a campaign about a magical robot girl and her pet alien cat dog thing.

[towards-toramunda]

Back on my BUT WHAT IF PREDATHOS IS A GOOD OR NEUTRAL ENTITY HUH????

WHAT THEN???????????

WHAT IF LUDINUS IS ONLY TRYING TO RELEASE PREDATHOS SO HE CAN USE HIS MORE ADVANCED HARNESS THAT HES HAD HUNDREDS OF YEARS TO DEVELOP TO EAT THE GOD EATER AND THEN HE’LL BE ABLE TO EAT THE GODS????????????????????????

WHAT IF THE BELL’S HELLS DISCOVER THAT PREDATHOS EATS GODS “NOT BECAUSE OF MALICE, NOT BECAUSE OF MURDEROUS INTENT, BUT BECAUSE SOME THINGS HAVE TO EAT AND SOME THINGS HAVE TO BE EATEN” (QUOTE FROM MATT MERCER IN EPISODE 71 WHEN THEY WERE IN THE SHATTERED TEETH THAT I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO STOP THINKING ABOUT)??????????????????????

ALL CAMPAIGN WE’VE SEEN THE GOOD SIDE OF “BAD GUYS” LIKE WITH NANA MORRI OR THE NIGHTMARE KING OR BOR’DOR OR EVEN THE PCS THEMSELVES LIKE THEY’RE ALL TEXTBOOK VILLAIN NPCS (except orym thats my father right there)

WHAT IF THAT WAS ALL TO LEAD US TO PREDATHOS ACTUALLY BEING A FINE DUDE??????

Okay but all caps is hurting my eyes so lets discuss:

- we haven’t seen predathos and presumably they’re either asleep or in some sort of dormant state and have been since nearly the beginning of recorded history so there is no record of their form, true power, personality, etc. all we know is they (presumably, but lets be real yes they did) ate two gods

- Predathos was said to create “twisted life” but so far what we’ve seen from the life on Ruidius is just… *different* life. Red and spindly and alien, but not necessarily bad. Yes we’ve seen some reilorans siding with ludinus in the fight near the lava a few episodes back, but we also know that reliorans called by imogen have to do what she says so how do we actually know these ones were working on their own volition/weren’t misguided like bor’dor was?

- Quite a few times in this campaign we’ve been shown the theme that bad things are often not evil or malicious, (and evil things can be useful shoutout to Teven Klask). As mentioned earlier and by many people throughout this campaign: these PCs are easily the villain NPCs in any other dnd campaign

- When they went to the shattered teeth Matt said “You are uncertain who is who, but you get the sense that many innocent creatures have met their end in this land violently, not because of malice, not because of murderous intent, but because some things have to eat and some things have to be eaten.” And ever since I heard him say that I keep wondering if THAT is gonna be who predathos is! Because gods may meet their end to predathos violently, not because of malice, but because *some things have to eat and some things need to be eaten*

- And NOW with the introduction of ludi’s old harness and seeing just how powerful and dangerous it is I absolutely think that Ludinus has been working on a new one since he left molaesmyr and my *theory* is that he’s only trying to release predathos so he can suck in his power (maybe he’ll be the one controlling imogen’s powers then and YIKE) and have the ability to devour the gods/become one himself.

- Imagine how JUICY and INTERESTING it’d be if the hell’s realize that predathos is actually not a bad being, but a being who has been treated badly and then BAMB LUDINUS COMES IN WITH AN UPDATED HARNESS AND SUCKS HIS POWERS INTO HIMSELF?? HOW BATSHIT WOULD THAT BE?????? LIKE??????? COME ON

(This is all speculation I hate when I speculate on this hellsite and someone claims I’m trying to pretend I have a crystal ball that can see into the future with 100% certainty: I’m trying to have fun calm down)

[necronatural]

Project Moon Discourse part 6: It's Over (It's Never Over)

My project moon tag is dedicated exclusively for details on this situation make of that what you will

Last time on Project Moon: Geonggi Youth Union and Project Moon User Association (protesting fans faction) gets a legal threat from a an actual legal firm (none of them say as much, but the contents appear to be specified to the Youth Union, so likely a copy-pasted message). PMUA were asked to not ragepost until the Youth Union finished talks with Project Moon, but THAT completely fell through, so they just post it with a translated reply. Kim Jihoon gets MAD mad and says that the Geonggi Youth Union were going after PM to promote their campaign standing! Youth Union says what the fuck are you talking about, how would we do this when it was being handled internally and the public would only see us apologizing? The crux of all this legal threatening is because Vellmori resigned, therefore it wasn't 'unlawful dismissal'.

And now some new updates:

IT union vice chairman Hwanmin Kim realizes that on September 8 the Limbus Company Twitter sent him a cease and desist. Over Twitter DMs. I'm not kidding

A user has translated Hwanmin Kim's explanation of why talks broke down with the Geonggi Youth Union in this Twitter thread. In short: unless Vellmori expresses a desire to be reinstated their hands are tied, as the laws don't adequately protect workers. It seems the "political motivations" accusation is rooted in the fact that the YU is respecting that they can't represent Vellmori's worker rights unless she asks, yet are still campaigning against PM regardless.

The surrounding climate of Korean gaming companies policing women's speech and how the PM case blew up because of that climate has been recorded in a news article that tracks situations as recent as the whole PM/YU/PMUA showdown. You can read it here. They reached Monggeu (the artist for Leviathan) for comment, and Monggeu noted "they asked me not to say anything too 'PC' when I was hired". Another staff member said PM treats workers 'not as people, but as parts'.

HamHamPangPang addresses a rumour that fan gifts are being thrown out, saying the stored items were damaged. Main response has been "with no notice though?" and "how the fuck did that happen?" with some gift-givers noting they have photo evidence of their goods being stored safely. Most people are actually rather forgiving of the manager (HHPP has been totally exempt from all the blowback towards PM's mismanagement thus far) and are casting suspicion on Kim Jihoon.

Most importantly of all, Kim Jihoon posts an apology on the Limbus Company twitter, which is a hell of a thing after the Notes App Ragepost. He far more cordially explains that he says he posted a notice with 'vague wordings', despite the fact that it very explicitly stated 'she violated our rules, and thus we won't be working with her in the future' - the only vague aspect was how Vellmori left the company. I suppose this is a polite way to say 'we fucked her over in hopes the DCInsiders would feel they successfully drew blood and leave the company alone'. At no point does he specify the original DCInside harassment beyond 'the artist was free to go after them legally', just as Hwanmin Kim mentioned.

Also this:

LMAO

It's actually an otherwise reasonable apology and I think it's encouraging that he will finally work with his employees when they come to him with harassment, but he at no point is clear on why on earth it required international protest for him to do so.

But he had time to interject that he wants the Geonggi Youth Union, Hwanmin Kim, and the PMUA annihalated. OK dude

Personally, I support further protest and not spending money on Project Moon titles, this time strictly over refusal to denounce anti-feminist harassment or comment on their mismanagement. Also it's all but explicit the offer PM gave was "either resign and escape by letting DCInside feel they won or stay on and sue them by yourself, we don't want to rock the boat by helping you" and I'm pissed

[eveningrelics]

For the record, we love making games and want them to be approachable.

This whole debacle has had us discuss trigger warnings for the future because some people are only sensitive to certain sub-sets of issues, myself included.

On a store page and in fane, however, these warnings could be lengthy.

Would it be good, I wonder, to have the lists on the store page and at launch, as we have thus far, and then each respectively direct you to where you could read more about each trigger type?

For example, a longer warning might be:

Transphobia:

Depiction of violence against a transwoman; scene includes aftermath of physical altercation

"T Slur" appears twice if player interacts with [PC in Chiyo's room]

Online abuse against a transgender individual (Sexual harassment and dehumanizing language)

In-game, I think it should be fairly easy to do a trigger warning directory with breakdowns and possibly examples of each?

It's time consuming, but if it's something that would make people feel more comfortable playing horror games, I am always looking to explore new options.

I don't think doing this would have mattered in the recent abuse, but it does matter to us for making sure players are comfortable moving forward.

I mentioned these things in my itch.io response on Mare's page before comments were closed.

For what it's worth now, the "T slur" was used because people who tear us down really don't give two shits if I'm nonbinary, trans masc, or whatever. Being trans is enough for them to hate me.

Maybe it's regional, generational, or whatever, but it's been applied plenty to trans masc and nonbinary people around me as much as transfemmes because people who hate us don't really see a difference.

As far as trigger warnings in games though, I am always happy to discuss ways to improve on it further. Z and I are both neurodivergent, queer game devs and I am also disabled.

Making stuff accessible is very important to us, so I would genuinely like to have a conversation about what makes approaching dark subject matter feel safe.

However, given the recent targeted hate campaigns, I will Not be engaging with anyone who comes to this in bad faith.

You will be blocked immediately, and I encourage others to do the same rather than engage.

[demifiendrsa]

Mortal Kombat 1: Khaos Reigns Official Announcement Trailer

The Mortal Kombat 1 expansion “Khaos Reigns,” will launch on September 24, 2024 for $49.99 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC, and for $39.99 on Switch.

“Khaos Reigns” includes new story chapters and “Kombat Pack 2.” A bundle containing “Khaos Reigns” and the existing “Kombat Pack 1” will also be available. “Kombat Pack 2” will not be available as a standalone character pack outside of the expansion. Pre-orders for the expansion include four new skins: “Wedding Scorpion,” “Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 Sub-Zero,” “Empress Mileena,” and “Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 Noob Saibot.”

A free update dubbed “Animality” will be available upon the release of “Khaos Reigns,” which sees the return of of the “Animality” finishers from Mortal Kombat 3.

Key visual

First details

Khaos Reigns After repelling the invaders who endangered Fire God Liu Kang’s New Era of peace, Mortal Kombat 1 “Khaos Reigns” expands the story campaign with an all-new cinematic narrative. When a perilous threat arrives from an alternate timeline, led by the ruthless Titan Havik whose sole mission is to throw the realms into khaos, Liu Kang must rally his champions and put faith in his enemies to defeat this grave danger. If they fail, the New Era will be reduced to anarchy. Kombat Pack 2

Adding to the growing roster of playable fighters, “Kombat Pack 2” features returning kombatants Noob Saibot, voiced by Kaiji Tang; Cyrax, voiced by Enuka Okuma; and Sektor, voiced by Erika Ishii, all with unique backstories as part of the reimagined Mortal Kombat 1 Universe. As Sub-Zero, Bi-Han was the Lin Kuei’s ruthless Grandmaster, but his soul was stolen by Titan Havik to create the perfect henchman, Noob Saibot, who is now dedicated to fomenting anarchy. Born into the Zaki, one of the Lin Kuei’s many sub-clans, Cyrax became a martial arts prodigy with an independent streak and untamed desire to serve the clan on her terms, or not at all. Growing up immersed in Lin Kuei culture under the tutelage of her parents, Sektor becomes a master armorer, skilled warrior, and Sub-Zero’s most trusted lieutenant, committed to advancing the clan’s future at all costs.

“Kombat Pack 2” also brings a new batch of guest fighters into the mix with Ghostface, the recurring identity donned by antagonists from the Scream horror movie franchise, voiced by Roger L. Jackson; T-1000, the liquid metal-based Terminator and deadly cybernetic assassin from the Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) film featuring the voice and likeness of actor Robert Patrick; and Conan the Barbarian, the towering warrior from the Conan the Barbarian (1982) film featuring the likeness of actor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Animalities Additionally, Animalities, the fan-favorite finishing moves will be returning as a free content update for all Mortal Kombat 1 owners. Allowing characters to morph into their spirit animal to annihilate defeated opponents, Animalities can be performed by all playable fighters and will be available in conjunction with the Mortal Kombat 1: Khaos Reigns release. Furthermore, all owners of Mortal Kombat 1 will receive a free MK 95 Scorpion character skin, inspired by the original Mortal Kombat (1995) film, available today.

[utilitycaster]

(discussed with asker; I'm quoting them but leaving out their url - btw feel free to ask on anon or to do this if anon is off)

---

My plan is, should there be a campaign 4 set in Exandria in the near future, to watch with the same high standards with which I came into Campaign 3. Frankly, and I say this as someone who prefers Vox Machina and the Mighty Nein to Bells Hells and loves their appearances in Campaign 3 from the perspective of “hey look it’s my guys!”, I think the focus on bringing in past PCs was one of the many flaws of Campaign 3 that I hope is not repeated in a future campaign. So really, I’ll be looking for the things I liked about past campaigns (close ties to the setting, a unique story, interesting character dynamics, thoughtfully crafted characters with convictions and motivations) as well as keeping an eye out for the earlier cracks in C3 (weird pacing, over-reliance on past campaigns).

With that said I also like…look. I feel this is one of those statements that feels a little condescending to say, but I think if I don’t say it people won’t realize it, so: Bells Hells aren’t real. I do not care if they are punished. I care if the story surrounding them is good enough to make me care about them as characters, and ultimately, it wasn’t (it was for a while or at least it was early enough for me to extend patience; over time I felt myself growing less and less invested in them, was the thing, and I suspect that’s why a lot of people are treating this campaign as a betrayal rather than just Not Very Good For Various Reasons, because they also once liked these characters and found themselves detaching over time.)

The reason I wanted Liliana killed was because I felt it would be a much more interesting narrative for Imogen if she was; the reason I wanted Ashton to die is because it would have made a satisfying and heartbreaking sacrifice after spending so much time talking a big game about caring about the world while fantasizing about an idealized past that never existed; the reason I find bringing back Vax unsatisfying is because it undercuts a very meaningful story about devotion and loss that I liked very much; the reason I want Ludinus to die is frankly because leaving him alive at this point is just boring and a worrisome loose thread in-world that makes no sense a choice; and so on. I am not advocating for morality tales to scare 19th century German children nor am I enforcing the Hays code. This is not a case of “Evil Must Be Punished And Good Rewarded”; it’s “I’d like if, when a character made a choice that was heavily signaled to be sacrificial, a sacrifice occurred instead of a boring-ass cop-out.”

However, given that these things happened, I think it’s a waste of time to want future works to go back and change them (except for maybe having some people hunt down Ludinus, which frankly was set up anyway with Caleb’s ending) I literally do not care what happens to most of Bells Hells at this point. The main story is over and it wasn’t very good, and punishing the pretend Bells Hells will just draw out the disappointment. I would prefer we simply not focus on what happens to them in the future in a Campaign 4 set in near-future Exandria, rather than waste our time on some kind of fix-it fic for Campaign 3. I’d like a new set of characters with new challenges to fall in love with, as I did for Vox Machina and the Mighty Nein. If that doesn’t seem to be the case, we’ll see if I keep watching; but I think a lot of people who didn’t like Campaign 3 would be much happier if they stopped fixating on the ultimate fates of Bells Hells and realized they are upset because they felt like they should care about these characters and they didn’t, and to look forward to a new story with new characters.

[shenanigans-and-imagines]

AB, Mogwix and Co.

This was a piece of art did by one of the other amazing players at my D&D table for The Wild Beyond the Witchlight campaign and I love it! The robot with the hat is my PC, Environmental Analysis Automaton A-B4 or AB for short. They're a Circle of the Shepherd Druid trying to find their creator who went missing at the Witchlight Carnival under mysterious circumstances.

The other member of our party include Buttercup, the minotaur college of lore bard, Pan, the half elf college of eloquence bard/fey pact warlock, Mogwix, the goblin wizard, and Goramorn, the dragonborn way of the dragon monk.

I've been playing them for a while now and thought I'd share some of what I wrote about their creation.

Also, after this campaign wraps up we'll be starting a Curse of Strahd campaign which we will be streaming on twitch! Let me know if any of you are interested in watching or at the very least would like to hear about my PC for that campaign.

Memory Banks: 00.00.00.00.001

Visual data: 

Environment: enclosed, wood interior, man made 

Danger rating: Yellow; tripping and magical hazards  

Lifeforms: 1 Humanoid, Designation: Human Male

Audio data:

Human Male:

…there was light. Ah! Yes! Third time’s the charm, or eleventh in this case. 

 Alright Environmental Analysis Automotom Prototype A-B4, let’s see if you’re the one. Oh, that really is mouthful isn’t it? We’ll have to come up with something different. Of course, if all goes well you’ll be able to do that yourself some day, eh?

Why anyone would want to scrap you is beyond me. Well you know what they say, man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

 Oh, well…I suppose I shouldn’t say that. Readings look like you’re picking up everything audio and visual. Excellent. Was a bit worried about your memory banks. Obviously for an analysis unit all you’d really be worried about are the plants and the like pertaining to your programming. Admittedly it was a spotty job. But the storage is just about perfect. Probably will need to work on expanding it. Wouldn’t want you to have to erase memories to keep new ones. 

Oh well, details to be sorted later. Made a bit of a mess myself. 

Welcome to the world A-B4. I’ve got a feeling you’re going to be spectacular. 

Analysis:

Environment: Moderately hazardous

Humanoid: Mostly harmless

Memory Banks: 00.00.00.00.102

New Program: Designation: Speech 

Audio Data: 

Julian:

Sorry AB. Seems as though I might have crossed the wrong wires. Your visual input is temporarily down, but let’s test out this new feature. 

Oh there have been so many things I’ve been wanting to ask you. Your vocabulary should be up to snuff. I took special care in your speech pattern recognition. Best way to learn is through doing, after all. Doing in this case having been listening to my rambling for the last few months. Hopefully it did us both some good. 

I think it did. It’s how children learn at any rate. 

Alright, first question: what is your name? 

Searching…

Statement: Designation: Environmental Analysis Automotom Prototype A-B4

Julian:

No, not your designation. What is your name?

Statement: Request unclear. Specify. 

Julian:

What do you want to be called? 

Statement: Request unclear. Specify. 

Julian:

Well, I do suppose it’s still a bit early for you to have proper wants now isn’t it? Still got a lot of programming to get through. We’ll save your name for later. Hopefully you won’t resent me calling you AB in the future. 

I hate to ask what your thoughts on me now are.

Statement: Answer. Analysis of Human Male, Designation: Julian. Wizard. Middle Age. Diet: Tea. Sleep pattern: Inconsistent. Communication: Heavily Verbal. Danger level: Yellow. 

Julian: 

Now that’s a shining endorsement, I must say. 

Statement: Understood. Analysis confirmed. 

Julian:

Alright, next on the list, fine tune your audio input to recognize irony. 

And I’m hardly middle aged. I don’t plan to die at seventy. Well, seventy-two if you’re getting technical, but I’m nowhere near the top of the hill let alone going down it. 

Statement: Understood. 

Julian:

Let’s just get your eyes working properly again. 

Memory Bank: 00.00.00.200

New Visual Data: Still Image: Tiefling Female. Expression: Unknown. 

Audio Data:

Julian:

Happy. See the smile? She’s happy. 

Facial Expression: Happy. 

Statement: Understood. Smile means happy. 

Julian:

Alright. Now let’s go back to this one. 

New Visual Data: Still Image: Dragonborn Male. Expression: Happy. 

Julian:

Understandable confusion. See how his brow creases. That’s anger. 

Question: Showing teeth indicates happiness and anger?

Julian:

I’d say it’s usually either or, but yes. The subtleties are in the eyes. Mouths may lie, but the eyes always tell the truth. We’ll get more into the nuances once you get the basics down. 

Question: What is lie?

Julian:

Deception. It’s when a person says one thing but means another. 

Question: Like irony? 

Julian:

Ah no…well, sort of. It comes down to intent really. It’s when somebody makes a false statement and indends for another to believe them. 

Question: Why lie? 

Julian: 

Any number of reasons. Some people lie in order to trick somebody into doing something they want. Other times people lie in order to comfort another. 

Statement: Definition unclear. 

Julian:

Fair enough. I think this is just something you’ll have to wait to figure out when you’re older. 

Statement: Understood. Question will remain unanswered. 

Memory Bank: 00.00.01.002

Julian:

I do hope you don’t find these memories too boring once you properly wake up. I mean, most days are boring, but from what I understand you’ll be able to remember everything that’s ever happened to you, this included. 

I can only imagine what you’ll think of me. Try to be charitable. I’d argue no parent in the world has put this much effort into the actual creation process. 

Oh Gods, me a father? That doesn’t sound right. I’m not old enough– Well, I am plenty old enough, but I never saw myself as the fatherly type. 

Forget I said anything. Or, no, don’t forget. That’s not an order. Just an expression.

I’m really not giving you much of a leg up if I’m your example am I?  We’re going to have to make sure you get out more.

Memory Bank: 00.00.01.095

Visual Data:

Environment: Lab

Danger Rating: Yellow, tripping and magical hazards

Lifeforms: 1 Humanoid, Designation: Elf Male

Facial Expression: Surprised, subcategory: Unknown

Audio Data:

Unknown Elf: 

What in the nine hells? 

New Visual Data:

Lifeform: 1 Humanoid, Designation: Julian

Facial Expression: Surprised, subcategory: Put-out

Julian:

What are you doing back here?

Elf Male:

I should be asking you the same thing. You’re not seriously considering this. 

New Visual Data:

New Facial Expression: Elf Male

Facial Expression: Angry, subcategory: Very

Julian:

There is a reason why I keep my work private. 

Elf Male:

It’s one thing to work with automatons, maybe dabble in trying to awaken one for a period of time, but this? Do you realize what magic you’re tampering with?

Julian:

What I’m doing is just taking the awaken spell and to its most logical conclusion. Where exactly am I going too far? 

Elf Male:

To create a sentient creature they require a soul. You think you can just create a soul out of whole cloth?

Julian:

Last I checked quite a number of creatures create new souls every day, oftentimes by accident. 

Elf Male:

You know what I mean. Those are living, breathing, biological beings touched by the divine. This is a machine. Whatever programs or even magic you put into it, all it will ever be able to do is pantomime mortal emotions. It will forever be soulless unless you give it one or somehow deluded yourself into thinking you could create one. 

Julian:

I am making no claims to my personal ability to isolate the soul. My only claim is that something doesn’t require biological parts to have one. 

AB has no baseline instincts, not even survival. They were initially programmed for cold, calculated analysis of raw environmental data. All I’m doing is attempting to give them the ability to ask why and the choice to find the answer. 

Curiosity, in its purest form. That’s where it all starts. I give them the baseline ability to recognize emotions in others and the rest writes itself. How they decide to react will ultimately be up to them as they grow to understand and empathize with the world around them. Now look me in the eye and tell me that’s not any child you’ve ever met in your life. 

Elf Male: 

All without a soul to guide them. 

Julian:

You really haven’t met many children, have you?

Elf Male:

This isn’t a joke, Julian. Gods, do you not hear yourself?

Julian:

What exactly am I doing wrong? I’m not hurting anyone. No bodies are being exhumed. No souls have been stolen. No deals have been struck. All I am doing is what every wizard has done which is explore the full extent of our reality. 

Now either you’re right and what I end up making will merely pantomime mortals. Or I’m right, and I will have proven that souls are not given to us by some divine entity. What we call a soul is created within ourselves for each other. No gods required. 

Elf Male:

I can only hope I’m right.

Julian:

And I can only feel sorry for you. 

Visual Data:

Elf Male: Out of range

Analysis:

Elf Male: Potentially harmful

New Visual Data:

Lifeform: Julian

Facial expression: Sad, subcategory: unknown

Question: Are you sad?

Julian:

Not sad, AB. Disappointed perhaps.

Statement: Understood. Expression is disappointment.

Question: What is disappointment?

Julian:

It’s when you hoped something would be different from what it actually is. 

I wish I could tell you people like him are a minority. I wish I could say that others will see you and fully accept you as the person you will become. 

Some of them will. I think most people will want to. It’s hard to say. There is a great deal of ignorance and fear in the world, and a lot of people are content to leave it that way. 

Do try to be patient with us though. We’re only mortal. 

Statement: Request unclear. Specify. 

Julian:

I guess what I mean to say is, go into the world assuming people want to be kind.

Statement: Understood.

Question: And this can cause disappointment? 

Julian:

More often than not, but you’ve got to do it anyway. 

Statement: Understood. 

Memory Bank: 00.00.00.01.269

Audio Data:

Julian: 

I really do hate to admit it AB, but perhaps Dustain was right. Arcane magic will only get us so far. You’ve progressed nicely, but something is missing. Just that last little umph. 

Don’t worry, I’m not about to ask a god for help. Bastards would just rub in our faces. 

The awaken spell is the baseline of all of this. Perhaps that’s the best place to start. The magic innate in nature is separate from the divine. You’re not so different. Metal is merely refined elements found in nature. Just because you’re man made shouldn’t exclude you. 

Hmm, perhaps I shouldn’t have wiped all that analysis programming. 

Memory Bank: 00.00.00.02.154

Julian:

Now this is silly, isn’t it. I’m not even sure if this is going to work. But, I think I’ve got a lead on something that might finally wake you up. Not sure when I’ll be coming back, if I will. Of course, if I don’t come back, you’ll hardly care, now, will you? But, you might care, someday. Depends if this works. Memories are funny like that. They change the more you remember them. That was the point of all my ramblings anyway. 

What am I trying to say here? Wish me luck? Wish us luck? 

I can’t wait to meet you.