Lords of Creation 16 (OOC)

[Celadon's Penultimate]

 I see...well, it was just out of curiosity, so thanks for that. Moving on.

Stats are solid. Power, Precision, Perception, Presence are just fine, to make sure nothing gets complicated.

However...

Artifacts: Each spirit has a Tool of Office which is a Divine Artifact of great power. It is an inseparable part of their being, and attempting to take it is nigh impossible. These tools serve none but their master, and visit horrible things upon those that dare take them.
A god may also use other Artifacts, Divine or otherwise. They may carry two additional Artifacts without problem.
A deity must spend two posts to attune themselves to any Artifact they acquire.

Should these have ranks, too? Not saying I'm for or against the notion, just wondering. If so, I'm more than willing to help with numbers. As much as I can.

Also:

1. What does attuning to an artifact entail? What does it mean? What counts as two attuning posts?

2. Anything else special or weird about Artifacts that should be known? Can you attune to another artifact? Can you simply un-attune to an artifact you've made, and go without attuning to another? Can you give power over your Artifact to another person, or share or exchange power over an Artifact? Can you turn one Artifact into another, or combine two or more? What's the cost for these things? Are any of these actions free actions?

[Tsubasa & Wen Tien]

I think Zale made three ranks for Artifacts right now which are Tool of Office, Divine Artifact, and (Mundane) Artifact.

As for the others, I don't know what Zale would say for those.

[Celadon's Penultimate]

 Hm, you're likely right about the ranks.

[Zaleramancer]

Well, it's mainly to prevent people from circumventing the rule on how many artifacts you can use at once by simply switching between them.

It's basically convincing the artifact to listen to you.

Un-Attuning would simply be a free action of sorts. It's hard to get one to listen, but easy to tell one not to.

Any sort of transfer would probably just make it a bit easier. You can't use it on the turn you get it, but the next one, sure.

Let's go over the Artifact Classes, then.


Mortal Artifacts, or Mundane Artifacts are more or less indistinguishable from very potent magical artifacts.

They're very powerful items (Equivalent to two skill ranks) and would be vanishingly rare if not for gods. One might appear every few centuries, at the most.

Even though they are powerful, not much separates them from magical items in terms of use.

Normal Mortals can use Artifacts, if they can figure out how to activate the properties held within.

Heroes, Gods and similar unique creatures do not usually have to coax the artifact into working, due to their power and general aura of staff-snapping intimidation.

Artifacts are rather easy to use for most powerful creatures or heroes, and the only limits on how many they may collect and use is their ability to haul around glittering weaponry.

Artifacts do not require an attunement period for non-mortals/lesser mythos.

Counter-balancing their relative ease of use is the fact that artifacts aren't very impressive to the more powerful entities that stalk Gammara. Artifacts do not have any special advantages over normal objects with regards to being stolen, lost or destroyed.


Divine Artifacts are a whole new class of insanity.

They are most obviously a step up in the echelons of power (4 skill ranks thereof), but they also have other subtle traits.

Divine Artifacts follow the attunement rules featured above.

A Divine Artifact that is separated from it's attuned master will try to return to them.

For a good idea of what this would be like, thing of the One Ring from Lord of the Rings.

It's a subtle, twisty thing.

This is the reason it's hard for normal mortals to use Divine Artifacts. It's impossible for them to attune to the item, because it is beyond their ability to control. The power would kill them.

When separated from it's master, these Artifacts will try to attract the attention of those that would or could return it to it's master.  Once in the hands of a suitably moronic mortal or lesser mythos, it would wheedle at their minds, turning them erratic and obsessive. A slow series of implanted desires would lead the artifact back to it's master.

Heroes and such are generally immune to this mental tampering, but the artifact will not function for those that are not it's master.

Unless said functioning attracts the attention of their master, or similar.

Attempting to attune with a Divine Artifact that is already attuned to someone will alert the attuned master.

It will also cause the artifact to activate in the flashiest and most painful way possible.

Attuning to an already attuned Artifact takes three non-consecutive posts, and each attempt will result in the consequences above.

Divine Artifacts offer a +2 bonus to skill checks to resist being taken from their owner.


Tools of Office

Batshit insanity here.

Tools of Office act in a similar manner to Divine Artifacts with regards to being separated from their God.

However, instead of subtle manipulation, they unleash the powers within them on any fool that dares meddle with divine goods.

A Tool of Office can not usually be separated from their Gods anymore than an arm can, and it's impossible to attune with the Tool of another deity.
 
Tools of Office will utilize all skills it has every post until returned to it's God. It generally attempts to destroy the one who took it (Since Tools are impossible to use) and then try to power it's way back to the master.

Gods are always aware of the location of their Tool.

Tools of Office offer a +4 bonus to resist being stolen.

For example..

If you took Waverider's Spear, you would become the center of your very own hurricane and every thing in the ocean for a hundred miles would start going for your jugular.

Once you died, the winds would start hurtling the spear back towards Waverider, where it would docilely land in her hand.  

[Celadon's Penultimate]

 Okay, everything else I understand. Only the wording for attuning still eludes me. Convincing it to listen to you? Do you detail the deity working to create the artifact, or do they literally have to have a conversation, and the two come to a compromise?

In essence, artifact creation In-Game means two posts; one to mention artifact creation itself and one to convince the created artifact to listen to you. Out-of-Game, though, does the second post even have to be about the artifact at all? Could the first post mention its creation, and the next post regarding that deity be some fluff intermission piece, and the post following that mention its use?

Naturally, I expect that the second post must be made by the person playing that deity, and it must be about the deity in question. So, an interjecting post by another player, or about another deity doesn't count toward the creation or attuning of the artifact.

[Celadon's Penultimate]

Ideas for some Religious Orders for the Second Age:

Order of Love and Passion (headed by Umonn, a descendant of Rox and Linessa)

Order of Beauty (headed by Qorri, a descendant of Linessa and Fandas)

Order of Creativity and Inspiration (headed by Maiya, a descendant of Draias)

[Celadon's Penultimate]

Also, each Pantheon Leader will have the option to take one Ambassador from one of the tribes of Uburra-Namall, as a sign of amity. They will serve as an apprentice to the Pantheon Leader, and useable in any capacity said Pantheon Leader sees fit. They will even relinquish their native names and take on a name fitting the Leader's choosing.

Though, the Ambassador must be willing to go. Preferably, they volunteer.

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

Zaleramancer wrote

When separated from it's master, these Artifacts will try to attract the attention of those that would or could return it to it's master.  Once in the hands of a suitably moronic mortal or lesser mythos, it would wheedle at their minds, turning them erratic and obsessive. A slow series of implanted desires would lead the artifact back to it's master.

The Watchman is never making another Divine Artifact ever again.

[Celadon's Penultimate]

Good thing you already have one.

[Zaleramancer]

This is why you keep tabs on the shiny things you make.

Very. Close. Tabs.

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

He finds that one, he's breaking it.

There aren't many things that a heresy in his eyes, but screwing with a person's free mind is definitely one of them. The Watchman is the type of person who would never keep a gun for the paranoia that his kids will somehow get it and hurt themselves.

[Zaleramancer]

To be honest, it's highly unlikely any mortal would get their hands on one.

They don't part easily with the ones they belong to, so the only things that could conceivably steal or take one would be something powerful enough to survive.

It's only in strange circumstances that it would happen.

[Celadon's Penultimate]

 Maybe some deity stunned by another in combat (a la Gilgamesh v Waverider) and dropping the Tool of Office.

So. Are we onto the next rule?

[Zaleramancer]

If no one comments further.

[Celadon's Penultimate]

 Understandable.

 On a totally unrelated note: That's why I love playing in the Chaotic Good moral alignment. Smash monsters, battle demons, and still child-proof the kids' play pen so no one puts out an eye. It's made for comedy...

[Celadon's Penultimate]

 You know what? I'm gonna just move on. If folks want to divert back to the previous matter, then by all means. The other rules could use some discussion, though. I may even bring others up to speed as they come in later.

Okay. Now, for the skills, stats and motes, section.

Skills - Each Spirit gets Action Skills which would be used once per turn and Utility skills which would be passive. A Pantheon Leader has eight points, a lesser god has six points, and a demi has four points.

Inherent Powers:
Create life
Avatar
Hero
Religious Order
Domain Manipulation
Flight
Shapeshifting (Non-concealing)


Gods begin with 12 motes. Pantheons share a mote pool. You gain one mote every two days.

With the re-designated ranking of Pantheon Leader ('Overgod') > Major god > Minor god > Demigod , there should be a re-designated ranking for points set aside for skills.

I suggest this:
Pantheon Leader- 8
Major- 6
Minor- 4
Demi- 2

Simple change, just to add in rank for Demigods, as per their new definition. Either that, or you can move things up one notch (10 for Pantheon Leader, 8 for Major god, 6 for Minor god, 4 for Demigod).

And as for the definition of Skills themselves, anyone who doesn't know by now (I actually realized only a couple days ago, myself), skills are capabilities of normal faculty, like Playing Music or Swordfighting, not superhuman abilities like Hypnotic Beauty or Shapeshifting. I apologize if I helped contribute to that confusion.

In addition, in the Inherent Powers section, the Create Life section should be made more clear. That obviously doesn't mean raising up new races, or mythical races/creatures/monsters. Only mundane creatures (be it a Deer or something more extraterrestrial), right?

And as for the shared mote pool...do you maybe think there need to be a bit more leeway? Just a suggestion, but since you get motes every couple days, what do you think of something like this?

Pantheon Leader- 12
Major god- 6
Minor god- 3
Demi-god- 1

And the number of motes they start off with isn't the max number of motes the deity can have, right?

[Celadon's Penultimate]

Oh, and what about domain change? Not adding domains, but if say Uburra-Namall wanted to literally give up her domains of Love, Passion, Beauty and Inspiration/Creativity, and become a goddess of Truth and Philosophy. What if that happens? How many motes would that cost? Or would that be some process involving motes AND miracles?

Likewise, what would attempting to change to domain of another deity entail? Like Uburra-Namall altering Dash's domain, or if Gilgamesh got into a contest of will with Waverider, and tried to turn her into a goddess of Weakness and Helplessness?

[Marvelous Miscreant]

Changing domains seems silly to be honest, if you are straight up switching from one to another. Especially as that would constitute the destruction of that domain and the loss of it in the world. However, if you were to transfer a domain to another god and then pick up another to replace it...that makes more sense to me.

Of course that kind of action should still cost motes.

[Celadon's Penultimate]

 I'm not here to account for the logic of such a move. However, if someone wants to take the option (either to transfer domain to someone else, or give up the domain completely), that option should be available. Maybe leave it up for grabs, whatever. The details of doing so should be outlined.

Or, it could be handled as it comes along, as per convo between player and GM. Zale's call.

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

I really disagree with the concept of a god losing or having their domain changed against their will, considering that the domain is what they're made of.