Message #11744

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The Mechanics

• How does it work?
  
  • Answering that question in depth is the primary function of this set of rules. But right off the bat, here are some basics: First off, you're a god. That said, you are not omnipotent - there are other gods who share the world with you, some of them your equals, some your inferiors, and some who are quite frankly much, much more powerful than you.
    
    These limits are represented by Action Points - a sort of divine currency, with which you may purchase powerful effects to help you shape the world to your liking. The specifics of what you can do with AP are covered in the next section - Divine Actions. Aquiring AP is significantly more difficult however - the vast majority of AP you aquire will be through an event called "Rollover". At Saturday @ 1200 EST, you acquire a small sum of AP. The specifics of this process are detailed later.
    
    So, in summary... you start with a sum of AP, and you get more of it each week. You spend the AP to make stuff happen. Simple enough.

• Divine Actions
  
  • Divine Actions are all considered massive feats on behalf of the deities which require a certain amount of divine energy in order to do accomplish.
    
    
    
  • 1 AP actions
    
    • Alter/Create Terrain: Create a Size Rank 1 region of terrain, or change existing terrain to a different type of terrain. Each 2 additional AP increases the radius by one Size Rank. Note that this does not cover "Attacks" - while you could in theory "Sink Atlantis" with this action, that falls under the category of Curse, below.
      
      
      • Size Ranks (For the Create Land action)
        
        • 1AP - A small country, like Belgium. (~10,000 sq mi.)
        • 3AP - A medium country, like France. (~250,000 sq mi.)
        • 5AP - A large country, like India. (~1,000,000 sq mi.)
        • 7AP - A small continent, like Australia. (~3,000,000 sq mi)
        • 9AP - A medium continent, like North America. (~10,000,000 sq mi.)
        • 11AP - A supercontinent, like Pangea. (~50,000,000 sq mi.)
        • 13AP - A planet, like Earth. (World encompasing.)
    • Create Class: Creates one base class. Each additional AP makes another class that follows a theme. Commoner, warrior, and expert will automatically exist for all species that have formed a society.
    • Raise Hero /Exarch: Raises a mortal to near divine status, truly an epic character capable of great feats of power. These are the heroes who shape the destiny of the world. Keep in mind that not all heroes are mighty warriors – some are inspiring leaders, or artists without peer who spread their culture throughout the world.
    • Create Life: creates creatures, such as animals, monsters, humans, elves, etc. These creatures may form colonies or family groups, like ants or lions, but they can not form structured societies beyond small tribal groups. This is used for the creation of sentient, intelligent, or specific life.
    • Enter/Leave Locked Plane: You may enter or leave a locked plane. Each additional 2 AP increases the Magnitude Rank of others that may enter or leave with you.
    • Create Society: While small hunter gatherer societies may exist, they will never build cities or become civilizations. This action creates a civilization of existing sentient creatures, such as humans founding Nineveh and building the Assyrian Empire. Note that you may forge multiple species into one society - for example, letting the Orcs, Goblins, and Ogres form a Greenskin Empire.
    • Join Pantheon: Invests a measure of energy to attune oneself to a divine pantheon.
    • Lead Populace: You teach a race how to do something. You don't NEED to use this, except for RP purposes and for counting actions towards domains. This is for like teaching dwarves about steel and gnomes about magitech and such. While there is no strict mechanical effect, there should be definite fluff-benefits to mortals who benefit from this action. It is up to the god using this action to determine how widespread the new technology or practice is, and how fast it spreads.
    • Bless: Buffers against and counters Curse. Each additional 2 AP increases the Magnitude Rank of the area. Additional AP spent do not increase the potency of the effect - it is assumed to be at full power at 1AP, so long as it is not countered. Only the scope of the effect is increased. A Bless may be fully countered by a Curse of equal Magnitude, or weakened by one of a lesser Magnitude. Note that the area affected does not decrease – only the potency of the effect.
    • Curse: Buffers against and counters Bless. Spend 1 AP to increase buffer. Each additional 2 AP increases the Magnitude Rank of the area. Additional AP spent do not increase the potency of the effect - it is assumed to be at full power at 1AP, so long as it is not countered. Only the scope of the effect is increased. A Curse may be fully countered by a Blessing of equal Magnitude, or weakened by one of a lesser Magnitude. Note that the area affected does not decrease – only the potency of the effect.
      
      Magnitude Ranks (For the Bless and Curse actions)
      MR 1- From a single person to an average-sized town's worth of people. A section of an army. An exceedingly sparsely populated area (i.e., a non-magical forest)
      MR 2- A large city's worth of people. A small army in its entirety. A rural, but settled area.
      MR 3- A massive metropolis' worth of people (i.e., Waterdeep, New York City). The army of a large kingdom. A swath of land, including hamlets and small villages. An extremely narrow group of people. (i.e.,Those with the blood of Gustav Augustus in their veins, NNHIS Employees)
      MR 4- The vast army of a legendary empire. A small nation, and all within it, including settlements of any size. A very specific group of people (i.e., Wizards, Blacksmiths)
      MR 5- A large nation or kingdom, and all within it, including settlements of any size. Anyone matching a broad descriptor (I.e., Arcane Spellcasters, Commoners, those who worship a certain god)
      MR 6- A super-massive continent (such as Pangaea), or several smaller ones (such as Europe and Asia). A world-spanning empire. The population of the western hemisphere. A massively generalized group of people (i.e., Casters, Militaries, those who worship any god on a certain pantheon)
      MR 7- Everyone. Everywhere. A truly global effect, usually reserved for cataclysms or other history-shaping events, as there is literally no-one who is entirely untouched by an act of this magnitude. (Second Impact, Ragnarok)
  • 2 AP actions
    
    • Create Avatar: This forms an almost mortal body for your deity to walk the mortal world. It is slightly more powerful than an Exarch, but it is nowhere near the power of a true god. Avatars do not age, and are effectively immortal - they may be slain, but their creator god may restore a damaged or destroyed Avatar for no cost. A deity may have only one avatar at a time.
    • Create Organization: This creates a new organization within a civilization, such as a wizards' guild, a secret cult, an assassins' den, etc. Each organization allows for the introduction of a single prestige class.
    • Create Pantheon: You create a pantheon, which can be considered as an alliance between gods who have united for a common cause. The cause is normally decided by the creator. Every week, the Pantheon generates an AP pool depending on the amount of members. For every two members, the pantheon generates 1AP which can be used by any member. So if a Pantheon has 4 members it will generate a weekly 2 AP, but if it has 3, it will only generate 1AP. Only 1 AP Actions can be done using Pantheon AP, and the AP does not stack after roll over – it is merely set to the weekly amount. The god who takes this action is the mechanical Admin of the pantheon (Usually, although not always, they will take some form leadership role story-wise as well), and has the final say in any expenditure of Pantheon AP. All other gods who wish to join (including founding members) must instead use the 1AP action Join Pantheon.
    • Lock/Unlock Plane: You stop entry or exit from a plane you control for any deities or mortals you choose. Gods fewer than one rank above your Divine Rank must spend 1 AP to enter/exit the plane.
  • 3 AP actions
    
    • Create Plane: Create a Plane - a realm with fundamentally different laws than The World, where your god can walk freely. Initially, the only existing planes are The World (which is barred to divine entry) and The Void (i.e., space). This page can be a useful guide for determining your plane's traits, but creativity is encouraged.
    • Gain Domain: This action also requires that the user have performed at least 5 Divine Actions related to the domain in question. (Please, for the sake of the MODs, provide a list of these actions along with your Gain Domain action)
    • Create Artifact: Create an artifact related to an action. You can have up to six artifacts: One Battle artifact, Two Utility artifacts, Two Boon/Bane artifacts, and a final slot chosen from those types by the player at character creation. Artifacts are powerful options, and the MODs have the authority to veto any artifact or combination of artifacts if they appear to be prone to abuse. The following is a list of the various Artifact Types:
      
      • Battle: This artifact gives you a +1 bonus to Combat ranking, plus an additional +1 per 2 AP spent, up to a +5. The effects of multiple combat artifacts stack.
      • Bane: This artifact grants a +1 bonus to the MR of your Curse actions. Also, it gives you one free use of Curse (un-augmented except by the artifact effect) each rollover. Bane artifacts may be augmented at creation - every 2 additional AP you spend on this artifact increases the MR bonus by another +1, to a maximum of +3. The MR bonuses of multiple Bane artifacts do not stack.
      • Boon: This artifact grants a +1 bonus to the MR of your Bless actions. Also, it gives you one free use of Nourish (un-augmented except by the artifact effect) each rollover. Boon artifacts may be augmented at creation - every 2 additional AP you spend on this artifact increases the MR bonus by another +1, to a maximum of +3. The MR bonuses of multiple Boon artifacts do not stack.
      • Mortal: This is an artifact granted to a mortal, leading them to be more like you. Examples include Boccob's Blessed book or the Hand and Eye of Venca. This gives you one free use of Lead Populace per week. Additionally, a mortal wielding an artifact is considered to be a Mortal Hero, even if you have not spent AP to raise him. Mortal Artifacts occupy a Utility Artifact slot. Mortal artifacts have no augment function.
      • Scaping: You may use this artifact to enhance your Alter Terrain actions by one Size Rank. Scaping Artifacts occupy a Utility Artifact slot. Scaping Artifacts have no augment function. The effects of multiple Scaping artifacts stack.
      • Grand: A Grand Artifact is a phenomenal work of power made possible by the combined powers of a group of gods. Such creations are always wondrous and incredible beyond words - for example, a mechanical sun, a palace of a divine pantheon, or the Weave of Arcana. Mechanically, a Grand Artifact must be made as collaboration between AT LEAST 3 gods. Each participating god must spend a full 3AP on the artifact, and it takes up an artifact slot on each of the gods. The effects of the artifact are purchased from among the other artifact effects, using the AP pooled from participating deities, minus three (for the Grand artifact’s “framework”). Effects may be purchased more than once, but all instances of an effect must be the same magnitude. The Artifact may reside in any slot, so long as it has at least one effect that fits in that slot, but any given god may only be attuned to ONE grand artifact. A grand artifact may be upgraded at a later date if another god wishes to attune themselves to it. The newcomer spends 3AP, and chooses a slot for the artifact to occupy, as if creating an artifact. These 3AP may be used to purchase effects for the artifact in a manner identical to creation. Upon creation, the creators of the Artifact choose an Admin for it. The Admin of the artifact has final say in all uses of the artifact’s expendable powers, and is responsible for settling disputes over how it is to be used.
        
        
        • Example of Grand Artifact Creation: A group of five gods wishes to forge a Grand artifact. As five gods are contributing 3AP each, and they lose three for the framework, the group has a total of 12AP to spend on effects. As a warlike group, they agree that a Battle effect would be beneficial, spending 5AP to give it a +2 bonus. For those times when they wish to intervene directly, they purchase a 3AP Blight effect – deciding not to magnify it, since it is intended to be a tool of war, not a cataclysmic destroyer of nations. They have now spent 8AP, leaving them with 4 in the pool. After careful consideration, they decide to purchase a second Blight effect for 3 more AP. They technically have 1AP remaining, but as there are no effects they can afford with it, the AP is lost.
          In the end, their artifact has the following attributes; all the participating gods receive +2 on combat rolls, from the Battle effect. Additionally, the artifact may be used to produce an unmagnified Blight effect up to twice per week – this ability may be accessed by any of the gods who created it, but the two charges are shared among them. The artifact may take up either a Boon/Blight slot or a Battle slot, chosen by each player attuned to it.

• Divine Rank, Growth, and AP Gain
  
  • You begin the game with 12AP. But over time, you will acquire and spend much more than that.
    
    Gods do not remain constant - they change, evolve, and grow in power over the aeons. This slow but steady increase in power is represented by Divine Rank, or DR. All gods begin at Divine Rank 1. Every point of AP you spend gives you precisely 1 Growth Point. When enough Growth Points have been accumulated, the following action may be taken.
    
    Divine Growth: This action cost an amount of Growth Points equal to three times your CURRENT AP income. The Growth Points are lost, and your god's Divine Rank permanently increases by 1. This action represents the fruits of experience, age, training, or anything else imaginable. No AP are spent on this action.
    
    Remember – ONLY AP that you actually SPEND counts towards accumulating Growth Points - hoarding AP teaches you nothing. Likewise, you do not gain GP from 'bonus' AP acquired from ANY source (Such as combat, a pantheon, or the Divine Intervention or Impulsive powers). While your god can use such external sources to work towards their goals, it does not truly help them better control and understand their own divine abilities.
    
    Divine Rank is of vital importance in determining your weekly AP gain. This is a simple equation - each Rollover, you generate AP equal to your DR+3. So as a newborn DR1 godling, you will have a weekly AP gain of 4. You begin the game with 12 AP - notably, if you spend all of it, you will have exactly enough GP to advance to DR2. This is to encourage players to make in immediate impact on the game, rather than hanging back and attempting to accumulate AP.
    
    The maximum AP a god can store is equal to their weekly AP income, times three. There is only so much energy even a divine being can hold - any additional AP that would be gained beyond this is lost.
    
    Transferring AP to another god is not allowed under any circumstances.

• How to post
  
  • It is important for everyone to be as clear as possible when making IC posts in order to avoid confusion between players. There are many ways to do that.
    
    
    • At the beginning of each post, open each "scene" of your post with the name of the character (or characters), and location. For example:
      

      Zeus & Thor: Gates of Valhalla
    • When doing a Divine Action, please post your AP Expenditure in a neat and easily understood manner. For example:
      

      AP 3 = 4-1: Bless the Elves, end the famine

      
      It allows for better book keeping as well as making the MOD’s life easier. When doing multiple Actions, separate them neatly, being sure to define what each action is doing and how much it costs. For example:
      

      AP 7= 9-2, Create Avatar
      AP 4= 7-3, Create Plane, The Plane of Fire
      AP 3 = 4-3, Alter Terrain, Create Volcanoes : SR 2

      
      
      • Many situations will arise where, through a god’s divine powers or artifacts, actions are discounted or free. When using such an action, always state the source of your discount or free action. For example:
        

        AP 9 = 11 – 2 (Claim Domain, discounted from Divine Authority) – 0 (Lead Populace, Free use from Leader of Men)
      • In the event that your god acquires Bonus AP (Through Divine Combat or the Divine Intervention power for example), always track it separately when listing your AP or AP expenditures, and remember that bonus AP vanishes at Rollover if not spent. For example:
        

        AP: 3
        BAP 2 = 3 – 3 (Create Excalibur: +1 Battle Artifact)
    • Players are encouraged when making a post, to be as descriptive as possible. Players who tend to describe their characters, mortals, cities ect, are more likely to be interacted in a positive fashion by other players. If you are leaving the other players to guess things about your character or mortals, then do not be surprised if they interpret things differently from what you had originally intended.
    • Pick a colour for your character's speech text. That way it will be easier for people to understand who is talking and when.
    • When gaining a Domain, write a list of the actions done towards gaining the said domain.
    • Whenever you spend AP, be sure to also keep track of how many Growth Points you have earned.