PastelPhoenix
How did this even happen?
- 453
- Posts
- 8
- Years
- Age 29
- Seen Nov 20, 2022
GLACIATE: Absolute Zero
OOC //
Little remains aside from the Great Sea of Ice that engulfs the land. Centuries of progress and human ambition were buried under the ice, and now the survivors try to carry what little shards of legacy they have. While humanity struggles, the other forces of the world prepare themselves. An ancient enemy prepares to settle a grudge, new life tries to find its place in the world, and demons from beyond still lurk the darkness. Something is stirring in the sea and threatens to wash away everything once more.
Six cities are all that remain of civilization in these lands, six cities only connected by the Grand Convoys that run between them. And that is where we find you, aboard one of the massive vehicles known as the Grand Convoys. Whether you were born here, or you joined sometime later in life doesn't matter, you're here now. Life on the Convoy can be tough, but it is upon your backs that life can resemble anything approaching normalcy for the rest.
Welcome back to the Wasteland
Little remains aside from the Great Sea of Ice that engulfs the land. Centuries of progress and human ambition were buried under the ice, and now the survivors try to carry what little shards of legacy they have. While humanity struggles, the other forces of the world prepare themselves. An ancient enemy prepares to settle a grudge, new life tries to find its place in the world, and demons from beyond still lurk the darkness. Something is stirring in the sea and threatens to wash away everything once more.
Six cities are all that remain of civilization in these lands, six cities only connected by the Grand Convoys that run between them. And that is where we find you, aboard one of the massive vehicles known as the Grand Convoys. Whether you were born here, or you joined sometime later in life doesn't matter, you're here now. Life on the Convoy can be tough, but it is upon your backs that life can resemble anything approaching normalcy for the rest.
Magic
Old stories speak of a time when magic flowed freely, something humans could harness without the help of tools. But sometime long, long before the creatures known as Yog-ganth froze the world, humanity found its magic sealed within them, no longer answering their call. It took the creation of the Wands, revolver like devices designed to draw out one's internal magic and shape them with a variety of magical ingredients, to return magic to the people. The creation of the first wand prompted a sudden surge in the study of magic itself, fueling a technological boom. Magic produced vehicles that could replace burden animals, wands larger and more accurate than bows, new ways to spread news, even artificial life.
But those discoveries froze alongside the rest of the world. Wandcrafting is all that remains of specialized creation. The greatest creations of magic, including the Convoys themselves, are starting to break down and require frequent patching. People fear that the next break will be the permanent one. Groups are dedicated to relearning the secrets of old, but progress has been slow. Progress is progress, however.
But those discoveries froze alongside the rest of the world. Wandcrafting is all that remains of specialized creation. The greatest creations of magic, including the Convoys themselves, are starting to break down and require frequent patching. People fear that the next break will be the permanent one. Groups are dedicated to relearning the secrets of old, but progress has been slow. Progress is progress, however.
Gameplay
The original Glaciate followed a loose sandbox propped up by missions from three specific sources. For the sake of not bogging everything down and not having to create a million missions for each area AZ will likely use a system where a large, overarching plot/event plagues the area and the players can work towards completing it while not being bound to a specific mission.
The magic system from the first game will likely return. This requires a wand to cast spells, and each spell is made from various components. A wand is loaded with Spell Starters, small cylinders containing the necessary magical ingredients for the spell. A wand is bound to the internal magic of the caster, allowing the wand to select the correct spell with the caster's intent, negating the need to physically move chambers around (a flaw with early wands). The components of a wand can also be incorporated into other weapons (sword, crossbow, etc), however these hybrids tend to either suffer in spell capacity, spell accuracy, or both compared to a traditional wand.
Spell crafting is done by selecting ingredients with a specific magical property and combining their effects. Effects are up to personal interpretation from the basic description, so players are free to get creative with the combinations, combining multiple shapes, elements, and properties. The original ingredient list is below.
Magic has various laws that limit its power. The main two are:
1) Magic cannot create organic life, nor can magic cannot restore the dead. Any organic material created by the growth component, or a similar spell, will slowly revert back to magic, leaving the object in its original state.
2) Magic is not permanent, it is constantly degrading back to ambient magic. Spells can persist so long as they are fed magic. The lingering component runs off of ambient magic, and once the magic has been consumed, the spell fails. A bridge built with the help of magic must stand on its own as a bridge, or it will fail when the spells end.
The magic system from the first game will likely return. This requires a wand to cast spells, and each spell is made from various components. A wand is loaded with Spell Starters, small cylinders containing the necessary magical ingredients for the spell. A wand is bound to the internal magic of the caster, allowing the wand to select the correct spell with the caster's intent, negating the need to physically move chambers around (a flaw with early wands). The components of a wand can also be incorporated into other weapons (sword, crossbow, etc), however these hybrids tend to either suffer in spell capacity, spell accuracy, or both compared to a traditional wand.
Spell crafting is done by selecting ingredients with a specific magical property and combining their effects. Effects are up to personal interpretation from the basic description, so players are free to get creative with the combinations, combining multiple shapes, elements, and properties. The original ingredient list is below.
Spoiler:
Magic has various laws that limit its power. The main two are:
1) Magic cannot create organic life, nor can magic cannot restore the dead. Any organic material created by the growth component, or a similar spell, will slowly revert back to magic, leaving the object in its original state.
2) Magic is not permanent, it is constantly degrading back to ambient magic. Spells can persist so long as they are fed magic. The lingering component runs off of ambient magic, and once the magic has been consumed, the spell fails. A bridge built with the help of magic must stand on its own as a bridge, or it will fail when the spells end.
Theming
The original Glaciate didn't really embrace the setting as well as it could have, in my opinion. Starting off in a green area was a mistake, and aside from description little felt like the wasteland it should be. My plans for AZ is to try and foster a better sense of danger and the difficulties of even surviving out in the wasteland now. The overall number of cities was dropped as one method of implementing this, as well as the convoys being in a rougher shape than before.
As always, feedback regarding this change is welcome.
As always, feedback regarding this change is welcome.
In a nutshell this is my basic idea. I've debated on this for a bit now, but think I want to try and revive what was my favorite RP to create. There was a lot of lore and just general fun had in the short time it lived. Feel free to add any comments and questions, I want to work with everyone to make this work.
