If you'd like to help with the system 'refinement' whilst I am still busy rebuilding the site structure, here's a couple of things to get you going:
- I need ideas for faction specific talents. Keep in mind that whilst they might be rather specific, they are talents and not feats, or stunts and what not. For example, the Sentinels may have a talent that allows them to wield both a polearm and a shield at the same time. Cool, unique to them and not something that has you shooting fireballs out your bum. Let me know what ideas you have and a brief description of what they do. I have some already
- If you would like to flesh out the background of any of the factions, please let me know. The staff have some basic framework that I posted a while back and anyone who would like to run with that and write something special, is quite welcome to. Factions are going to become more of a 'choose one on creation' type of thing, so we need more info available.
If you have any other ideas or feedback, be sure to let me know
The article below is the sole surviving copy of what was presumably many. It was found beneath the rubble of a burnt out building that once belonged to a local scribe.
Finding accurate accounts of the history and inner workings of this collective of mages is as difficult as finding a Dryad in a barren desert. Therefore, a study of the Noctis Venator must needs be limited to the public face they present. As such we will avoid such popular rumors as the one stating the Noctis Venator trace their origins back to a secret society formed within the colleges of Highever. Or the one stating that all books and scrolls found bearing information about the faction are destroyed on site by its members. Although there may be some truth to the latter given the rarity of such.
A Public Face
The Noctis Venator presents itself as a collective of mages that have brought themselves together for the betterment of the world through the study and creation of magical techniques and items. The public face they present is that of the sage benefactor or advisor. They claim to safeguard the world by locking away dangerous artifacts and taking the forefront against malicious use of magic. They believe that through better understanding of magic and how it works, they can improve upon the world.
Factions within factions?
Unless you live in one of the major cites, chances are you will not see many members of this order in one place. Those that do, however, have probably taken note of the various arcane symbols they wear on their person. Some even sewn into their clothing. These symbols, along with other visual cues such as colors of fabrics, seem to denote ones place within the order. One could therefore reasonably draw the conclusion that there exists ranks and subfactions within the Noctis Venator. How they are broken down or what they mean, unfortunatly, is just not possible from outside the order without a much more lengthy, and possibly dangerous, study. Something I shall delve into once this article is published.
Potential recruits must diplay at least some capability in at least one area of magic. They must also be willing to submit to the rules and regulations of the Noctis Venator, including it's laws on secrecy. The breaking of such rules could lead to very bad, possibly deadly, consequences.
Benefits of Membership
Members of the Noctis Venator recieve many benefits that increase as they rise within the Faction. They center arround access to the vast stores of knowledge and items the Noctis Venator have collected over the years, with higher ranking members gaining access to the rarer Tomes and more deadly Artifacts.
Members can sign out tomes and items "on loan" from the Noctis Venator, with the promise that such items will be paid for in full should they become lost or damaged in anyway. Failure to pay would lead to severe consequences for the offender.
How about a willpower talent for the Noctis to affect fatigue either by slightly lowering it or speed in its recovery. Basically highlighting that those that choose this faction devote their time almost completely to the study of magic and would theoreticly be able to use it more efficiently or have some sort of edge over those that arent as focused in their training.
There could also be a (insert magic talent here) Adept that would open up something new for the mage in that one field. People have been asking about ice and plant and what not. this talent could be that gateway.
A few other options for the Noctis might be something that emulates the classic spells of Detect Magic and Identify.
The Tryst could have more specific theiving talents such as Stealth. That may even be a good one for the Vanguard too as i could see some overlap in where these extra talents are assigned.
The mythos is nice, but we will also need some plain English info for new players to be able to get a quick grasp on what a faction is actually all about.
Also, I will be implementing an award system, in which you'll earn badges that will show in your profile. If you have ideas for what the badges could be awarded for, let me know. A good one would be a fantastic post, popular story or member of the month.
Those would be the main badges I would think of. unless you wanted some Faction specific ones to denote some kind of position or rank within the faction. Perhaps thats how the bonus talents are doled out. Work hard within the faction and get "promoted" and earn the extra stuff.
That could work, it help on TTD. I have come up with some recruiting methods for the Sentinels, although I have not full proofed them, they are in the works.
Another idea for badges would be a specialist title in writing/rp in a particular field. For example, somebody could be very creative and/or impressive when it comes to describing and using magic; therefore, he or she gets a Magic Specialist badge. Or you could be good at any sort of Lore, like the menagerie pantheon, or the laws of Wistvale, etc. That way, everybody else can easily see that they are RPing with a pro in a certain field, and they can expect something cool if they wander into that specific field. That way we also know who to ask if we wanna develope Wistvale in any direction.
I also thought of badges that concern like good, evil, veteran, etc. But that is more Character-specific. Badges that show up in the profile should concern the player, not his character. But it's almost the same thing. If his/her character is a battle hardened veteran, and the player is great at writing about battle details, give him/her the Battle Specialist badge.
PS: This post just raised another question I don't think I read anything about so far. Can a player make multiple characters? Using one account? I don't wanna do it, but that could be something to be mentioned in the create your character thread, if it's not there already.
Last Edit: Sept 11, 2013 7:26:06 GMT -5 by Deerfield
She started dancin' real slow, like she was puttin' on a show.
Wet sweat was pourin' off her skin, her body made me wanna sin.
Right then my buzz was kickin' in, she had a devil's grin.
She looked me in the eye and said: You give me the urge!
To do a little day drinkin'
A little bit of love makin'
A whole lot of world shakin'
'Cause it's never too late to get low down dirty!
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Low Down Dirty
Generally yes a player can have more than one character, upon approval by Admins. We like to see how that player handles one character and get some knowledge of the world and the system under their belt before allowing multiple characters. I think it used to be listed somewhere in the guide, but cant remember where.