Paraprima RP (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
unholycomedy) wrote2025-01-13 11:14 am
unholycomedy) wrote2025-01-13 11:14 am
characters.
Pawns • Canon Powers • Degradation • God Followers • Blessings
Demigods • Shrines • Favors • Minigames
Demigod Arrival • Becoming a Demigod • Gaining More Power • Losing Demigodhood
Characters in the game are either pawns or demigods. Why "pawns"? Well, they can't be grouped together as "humans" since not everyone is human, so someone with a bad personality just started calling them pawns at some point. Basically, it's just a catch-all term for everyone who isn't a demigod.
Pawns are unchanged from who and what they were in their respective canons, at least to begin with. However, they are subject to the natural laws of the decaying world around them. The gods are always passively feeding on the discord in everything within the world, including pawns; unless pawns generate enough discord to maintain themselves, their existence may begin to fray.
Demigods are less at risk of fraying, but also naturally emit less discord than pawns. The gods always want more pawns.
Pawns have all their canon powers, but they may not work reliably. The thick, incomprehensible magic of the divine fills this world, and its oppressive presence may interfere with characters' abilities to use supernatural or superhuman powers... but not consistently. Players can powercap their characters as much or as little as they want, and they don't have to apply the same degree of powercap to all powers or in all situations. A power that is regularly played as working perfectly could conveniently fail in one specific thread because it was funnier or more convenient that way for the players. Two characters could have identical powersets and one could be played at full power while the other could be played as totally useless just for fun. A character's ability to fly could work fine one day, then completely gone another, then on yet another day it could be reduced to just the ability to hover a little.
The two general rules of thumb are that characters can't use their canon powers to leave the setting (at least, not until their good end), and that you should make sure other players are up for it before using something against their characters. We hope to give players the opportunity and freedom to play out utter OP nonsense as much as they like as long as everyone has fun and the game stays more or less intact.
Players have the option to start their character off 'missing' parts of themself. This could be any number and all manner of things, such as memories, powers, skills, beliefs, facets of their personality, the color of their eyes–anything that is fundamentally a part of them.
This loss is a product of "degradation." A being must contain sufficient discord in order to remain intact in the world of Paraprima; if the amount of discord within your character is low, their existence may not be able to hold itself intact, and pieces may fall away. Pawns, especially those who do not follow a god, are always at risk of degradation.
Unaffiliated pawns must generate enough discord to pass activity check each OOC month to avoid degrading. Losing minigames may also sometimes result in degradation, though not all minigames.
There are several ways one can regain the things lost to degradation. Winning a scored minigame will automatically reward someone with a piece of themself returned, if any pieces of themselves have been lost. Characters may also strike favors with demigods, who can manipulate discord to provide almost anything–so long as enough discord is created for them to do so. As a follower to a god, they may also ask the god to help heal them in exchange for a significant sacrifice. (Other methods of regain may also be added in the future.)
Pawns may choose to become a "follower" of one of the gods. This status comes with various benefits, such as more power and community in the world, in exchange for consistent discord generation and sacrifices to the gods.
Firstly, failing to produce enough discord will not result in degradation for a follower. However, they will be kicked from the following because their god won't be happy about not being fed. That said, there's nothing stopping someone from joining, getting kicked out, and rejoining again repeatedly as a means of avoiding degradation.
Leaving a following deliberately is as simple as going up to the temple entrance and telling your god, "I'm breaking up with you, bye!" Or any such similar sentiment.
A follower who leaves or is kicked from a following can no longer enter the temple, but still retains any blessings they received as part of that following, be they items or powers. However, if they later join the following of a different god, they will lose any powers from their previous following. Only one set of god powers at a time.
Followers are granted access to their respective gods' temples. These temples can serve as alternative shelters, areas of relative privacy, or meeting spots for followers that serve under their respective gods. More information about temples can be found here.
Followers are also granted blessings by their god in exchange for larger offerings of discord. A blessing may be one of the powers that falls within their god's domain, or it may be a material reward. Or a blessing may be used to restore a part of the follower lost to degradation. Whatever it becomes, the blessing first takes the form of a sphere like a pearl, regurgitated by a character's personal messenger. The character holds this pearl in their hands and says a prayer to their god (the prayer can be anything) asking for their desired blessing. If the blessing they want is a material object, the pearl will transform into that object (characters are advised to do this in a place where there will be enough room for the object they want); if they want a power or healed degradation, then they swallow the pearl and gain the power or piece of themself.
Material rewards can be virtually anything; your character may get a knife, a special magic weapon, a seedling, a picture of your family, a house, a Gundam, or any number of other things. If you have an item in mind that you'd like for your character, but you're not sure if it would be allowed, please email us or comment to the FAQ page to ask.
The large offerings of discord performed by followers in exchange for blessings are generally referred to as "sacrifices," and they must always involve going against another's will, or even multiple others'. For example, one might bring someone else's severed limb to the temple of their god. Or they might end a five year relationship (not their own). Sacrifices do not necessarily have to be physical; they may be mental or interpersonal as well. Sealing someone's memory of their loved one, or rejecting another's heartfelt feelings. So long as the discord generated by the action can be considered significant or even life-altering for the "participants."
Additionally, followers who qualify for an activity bonus are also given blessings after AC check each month. Characters who commit sacrifices are likely to also qualify for the activity bonus since the sacrifice threads can be used for AC, which means they're likely to get two blessings for that month–one as a reward for the sacrifice, and one as their activity bonus reward.
More info about followings, how to join them, and the list of powers available to followers can be found under gods.
Pawns are unchanged from who and what they were in their respective canons, at least to begin with. However, they are subject to the natural laws of the decaying world around them. The gods are always passively feeding on the discord in everything within the world, including pawns; unless pawns generate enough discord to maintain themselves, their existence may begin to fray.
Demigods are less at risk of fraying, but also naturally emit less discord than pawns. The gods always want more pawns.
Pawns have all their canon powers, but they may not work reliably. The thick, incomprehensible magic of the divine fills this world, and its oppressive presence may interfere with characters' abilities to use supernatural or superhuman powers... but not consistently. Players can powercap their characters as much or as little as they want, and they don't have to apply the same degree of powercap to all powers or in all situations. A power that is regularly played as working perfectly could conveniently fail in one specific thread because it was funnier or more convenient that way for the players. Two characters could have identical powersets and one could be played at full power while the other could be played as totally useless just for fun. A character's ability to fly could work fine one day, then completely gone another, then on yet another day it could be reduced to just the ability to hover a little.
The two general rules of thumb are that characters can't use their canon powers to leave the setting (at least, not until their good end), and that you should make sure other players are up for it before using something against their characters. We hope to give players the opportunity and freedom to play out utter OP nonsense as much as they like as long as everyone has fun and the game stays more or less intact.
Players have the option to start their character off 'missing' parts of themself. This could be any number and all manner of things, such as memories, powers, skills, beliefs, facets of their personality, the color of their eyes–anything that is fundamentally a part of them.
This loss is a product of "degradation." A being must contain sufficient discord in order to remain intact in the world of Paraprima; if the amount of discord within your character is low, their existence may not be able to hold itself intact, and pieces may fall away. Pawns, especially those who do not follow a god, are always at risk of degradation.
Unaffiliated pawns must generate enough discord to pass activity check each OOC month to avoid degrading. Losing minigames may also sometimes result in degradation, though not all minigames.
There are several ways one can regain the things lost to degradation. Winning a scored minigame will automatically reward someone with a piece of themself returned, if any pieces of themselves have been lost. Characters may also strike favors with demigods, who can manipulate discord to provide almost anything–so long as enough discord is created for them to do so. As a follower to a god, they may also ask the god to help heal them in exchange for a significant sacrifice. (Other methods of regain may also be added in the future.)
Pawns may choose to become a "follower" of one of the gods. This status comes with various benefits, such as more power and community in the world, in exchange for consistent discord generation and sacrifices to the gods.
Firstly, failing to produce enough discord will not result in degradation for a follower. However, they will be kicked from the following because their god won't be happy about not being fed. That said, there's nothing stopping someone from joining, getting kicked out, and rejoining again repeatedly as a means of avoiding degradation.
Leaving a following deliberately is as simple as going up to the temple entrance and telling your god, "I'm breaking up with you, bye!" Or any such similar sentiment.
A follower who leaves or is kicked from a following can no longer enter the temple, but still retains any blessings they received as part of that following, be they items or powers. However, if they later join the following of a different god, they will lose any powers from their previous following. Only one set of god powers at a time.
Followers are granted access to their respective gods' temples. These temples can serve as alternative shelters, areas of relative privacy, or meeting spots for followers that serve under their respective gods. More information about temples can be found here.
Followers are also granted blessings by their god in exchange for larger offerings of discord. A blessing may be one of the powers that falls within their god's domain, or it may be a material reward. Or a blessing may be used to restore a part of the follower lost to degradation. Whatever it becomes, the blessing first takes the form of a sphere like a pearl, regurgitated by a character's personal messenger. The character holds this pearl in their hands and says a prayer to their god (the prayer can be anything) asking for their desired blessing. If the blessing they want is a material object, the pearl will transform into that object (characters are advised to do this in a place where there will be enough room for the object they want); if they want a power or healed degradation, then they swallow the pearl and gain the power or piece of themself.
Material rewards can be virtually anything; your character may get a knife, a special magic weapon, a seedling, a picture of your family, a house, a Gundam, or any number of other things. If you have an item in mind that you'd like for your character, but you're not sure if it would be allowed, please email us or comment to the FAQ page to ask.
The large offerings of discord performed by followers in exchange for blessings are generally referred to as "sacrifices," and they must always involve going against another's will, or even multiple others'. For example, one might bring someone else's severed limb to the temple of their god. Or they might end a five year relationship (not their own). Sacrifices do not necessarily have to be physical; they may be mental or interpersonal as well. Sealing someone's memory of their loved one, or rejecting another's heartfelt feelings. So long as the discord generated by the action can be considered significant or even life-altering for the "participants."
Additionally, followers who qualify for an activity bonus are also given blessings after AC check each month. Characters who commit sacrifices are likely to also qualify for the activity bonus since the sacrifice threads can be used for AC, which means they're likely to get two blessings for that month–one as a reward for the sacrifice, and one as their activity bonus reward.
More info about followings, how to join them, and the list of powers available to followers can be found under gods.
Demigods are pawns who have merged with a portion of a god's flesh, or received a god's blessing. The presence of this godflesh takes physical form as some kind of mutation on their body–a growth, a new limb or two, a patch of scales on their skin. They are able to harness and conduct discord in the way a god may, collecting it and channeling it into power to affect their surroundings.
Demigods require more discord to maintain the merging between their body and their godflesh. Unlike pawns, who can only maintain themselves with the discord they create through their own actions, because demigods can channel discord, they can also harness discord generated by the actions of other people as a means to bolster their existence.
From the moment they absorb the flesh of a god, a demigod is granted a pocket dimension that they may enter or leave at will. This space, or 'shrine,' is just a small empty room to start with, but it is their domain to control.
Temporarily, a demigod may manifest and overlay their shrine onto the world of Paraprima, and thus control their surroundings however they wish–however, this ability is temporary. In order to create permanent effects or objects, they must acquire a large amount of discord, or imbue more godflesh. Expanding their shrine like this for too long will eventually wear on their body and mind, and it will shrink back down to its 'default' state when they get tired enough.
A demigod may permanently upgrade and add to their shrine's 'default' state by running minigames. The shrine is their domain, so they can upgrade it in any way they wish, one addition at a time–furniture, or a personal bathroom, or a wide, grassy field.
Even without expanding their shrine, demigods can do a great deal if they can find or obtain enough discord. For things like item creation or degradation healing, a demigod can ask a 'favor' of an appropriately discordant action. When another person accomplishes this favor, the demigod can collect the discord they create by doing so and use it to create a permanent alteration to the world. Although demigods can also technically ask and reward favors amidst each other, or simply commit a discordant action to get discord for themself, favors done by pawns naturally generate more discord than demigods. Thus, the same goods or services would require a more expensive favor or action from a demigod than it would a pawn.
More details on minigames at minigames.
'Minigames' (called such OOCly but frankly who knows what characters will end up calling them IC) are scenarios constructed by demigods within their expanded domain. Conditions of participation may be set, and everyone who participates will be subject to those conditions. The 'terrain' within the domain can also be made to look however the demigod wants, and even work however the demigod wants–gravity can go up in this one specific room in the scenario, no one can stop you. Pawns can be magically drawn into the domain and forced to participate; other demigods can also be drawn in, but unlike pawns have the power to refuse or leave rather than participate if they so choose.
This is the primary way through which demigods can collect discord for their own purposes or gain more power. Getting pawns to participate in these scenarios can generate large amounts of discord, which can be harnessed by the demigod to create a number of more lasting effects. With the discord a demigod can get their hands on from a favor, they could get someone a magic sword. With the discord a demigod can get their hands on from a minigame, they could get everyone their own individual magic swords. The more discord-heavy the minigame, the greater the potential payoff.
Heavy enough, and enough discord can be accumulated and gathered to trigger a god to shed pieces of its flesh. The demigod may direct the discord to accumulate in a particular target (such as a specific rock or tree, or even a person), then consume or imbue the resulting flesh to increase their powers.
You may app your character starting out as a demigod instead of starting as a pawn. Rather than your character entering the setting as a demigod from the beginning, a demigod app assumes that your character has already been in the world of Paraprima for long enough to attain demigodhood after starting as a pawn. (With this in mind, please be sure to also read anything related to pawns.)
Demigods may start out with some amount of pre-determined CR with other demigods if they wish. Or if you'd prefer they have less familiarity with the recent goings-on, they may have been out of commission for a while via one of the hiatus options. You may even use one of these options to render them more disoriented, with gaps in their memory; even for those who utilize this kind of option, the player should still have a good idea of why their character sought out demigodhood, and what method they used to get it.
Demigods will probably have become familiar with the natural laws of the world, like discord and degradation. They may also have known people in the past who have successfully acquired enough power to leave the world of Paraprima. (Please keep this sort of thing to vague OCs and not canon characters who could potentially be apped.) Because of this, demigods may be aware, and have already witnessed firsthand, that acquiring enough of the power of the gods can allow someone to travel worlds while retaining their power, enabling them to cure disease, bring back the dead, purify an irradiated city, etc. even in their own home worlds. However, it isn't clear exactly how much power will be 'enough' power.
Demigods are pawns who have merged with a piece of a god. There are several ways to accomplish this:
Once the godflesh is imbued, some part of their body mutates to mark their new nature as a demigod. This must be an outwardly visible mutation, theoretically possible to be removed, but otherwise is up to the player to determine.
Demigods who were followers but gained demigodhood through a method other than their god's blessing will retain all powers, but will lose access to the god's temple.
When a character who is already a demigod imbues even more godflesh (or another demigod's flesh), they may do one of the following:
When the merging between a demigod's being and their imbued godflesh is weakened or severed, they may lose their status as a demigod and return to being an unaffiliated pawn.
There are two main ways this could happen:
When stripped of their demigodhood, the character returns to being an unaffiliated pawn. They will lose access to their shrine as well as any powers they gained as a demigod or from a past following. However, if they can become a demigod once more, they will regain their shrine exactly as it was before, as well as all of their previous powers, rather than having to start over from scratch.
Demigods require more discord to maintain the merging between their body and their godflesh. Unlike pawns, who can only maintain themselves with the discord they create through their own actions, because demigods can channel discord, they can also harness discord generated by the actions of other people as a means to bolster their existence.
From the moment they absorb the flesh of a god, a demigod is granted a pocket dimension that they may enter or leave at will. This space, or 'shrine,' is just a small empty room to start with, but it is their domain to control.
Temporarily, a demigod may manifest and overlay their shrine onto the world of Paraprima, and thus control their surroundings however they wish–however, this ability is temporary. In order to create permanent effects or objects, they must acquire a large amount of discord, or imbue more godflesh. Expanding their shrine like this for too long will eventually wear on their body and mind, and it will shrink back down to its 'default' state when they get tired enough.
A demigod may permanently upgrade and add to their shrine's 'default' state by running minigames. The shrine is their domain, so they can upgrade it in any way they wish, one addition at a time–furniture, or a personal bathroom, or a wide, grassy field.
Even without expanding their shrine, demigods can do a great deal if they can find or obtain enough discord. For things like item creation or degradation healing, a demigod can ask a 'favor' of an appropriately discordant action. When another person accomplishes this favor, the demigod can collect the discord they create by doing so and use it to create a permanent alteration to the world. Although demigods can also technically ask and reward favors amidst each other, or simply commit a discordant action to get discord for themself, favors done by pawns naturally generate more discord than demigods. Thus, the same goods or services would require a more expensive favor or action from a demigod than it would a pawn.
More details on minigames at minigames.
'Minigames' (called such OOCly but frankly who knows what characters will end up calling them IC) are scenarios constructed by demigods within their expanded domain. Conditions of participation may be set, and everyone who participates will be subject to those conditions. The 'terrain' within the domain can also be made to look however the demigod wants, and even work however the demigod wants–gravity can go up in this one specific room in the scenario, no one can stop you. Pawns can be magically drawn into the domain and forced to participate; other demigods can also be drawn in, but unlike pawns have the power to refuse or leave rather than participate if they so choose.
This is the primary way through which demigods can collect discord for their own purposes or gain more power. Getting pawns to participate in these scenarios can generate large amounts of discord, which can be harnessed by the demigod to create a number of more lasting effects. With the discord a demigod can get their hands on from a favor, they could get someone a magic sword. With the discord a demigod can get their hands on from a minigame, they could get everyone their own individual magic swords. The more discord-heavy the minigame, the greater the potential payoff.
Heavy enough, and enough discord can be accumulated and gathered to trigger a god to shed pieces of its flesh. The demigod may direct the discord to accumulate in a particular target (such as a specific rock or tree, or even a person), then consume or imbue the resulting flesh to increase their powers.
You may app your character starting out as a demigod instead of starting as a pawn. Rather than your character entering the setting as a demigod from the beginning, a demigod app assumes that your character has already been in the world of Paraprima for long enough to attain demigodhood after starting as a pawn. (With this in mind, please be sure to also read anything related to pawns.)
Demigods may start out with some amount of pre-determined CR with other demigods if they wish. Or if you'd prefer they have less familiarity with the recent goings-on, they may have been out of commission for a while via one of the hiatus options. You may even use one of these options to render them more disoriented, with gaps in their memory; even for those who utilize this kind of option, the player should still have a good idea of why their character sought out demigodhood, and what method they used to get it.
Demigods will probably have become familiar with the natural laws of the world, like discord and degradation. They may also have known people in the past who have successfully acquired enough power to leave the world of Paraprima. (Please keep this sort of thing to vague OCs and not canon characters who could potentially be apped.) Because of this, demigods may be aware, and have already witnessed firsthand, that acquiring enough of the power of the gods can allow someone to travel worlds while retaining their power, enabling them to cure disease, bring back the dead, purify an irradiated city, etc. even in their own home worlds. However, it isn't clear exactly how much power will be 'enough' power.
Demigods are pawns who have merged with a piece of a god. There are several ways to accomplish this:
- Be granted demigodhood as a blessing from a god, as their loyal follower. The seventh power bestowed upon a follower is this. The godflesh merges with them without effort on their part, and the alteration to their body appears on its own. This is the only method by which a follower remains a member of a god's following after becoming a demigod.
- Acquire the godflesh as it appears in the world. When a demigod conjures godflesh, it may sometimes be possible for a quick-acting pawn to get there first and take it for themself. Or, more directly, a pawn can simply create a big enough, catastrophic enough incident of conflict that godflesh is naturally shed somewhere nearby, without having to involve a demigod at all.
- Imbue a part of a demigod's body as though it is godflesh.
Once the godflesh is imbued, some part of their body mutates to mark their new nature as a demigod. This must be an outwardly visible mutation, theoretically possible to be removed, but otherwise is up to the player to determine.
Demigods who were followers but gained demigodhood through a method other than their god's blessing will retain all powers, but will lose access to the god's temple.
When a character who is already a demigod imbues even more godflesh (or another demigod's flesh), they may do one of the following:
- Gain an entirely new power of their own choice/invention. This power will start out at something like "level 20/100" in power and efficacy, but it can do whatever you want. You can even just copy a power from the follower playbook if you want. No one can stop you.
- Upgrade a power they already have. This can be used on a power previously gained with godflesh (so getting a level 20 power bumped up to level 40), or it can even be used on canon powers. Theoretically I guess this could be used on the follower powers too but most of those are so broken already.
When the merging between a demigod's being and their imbued godflesh is weakened or severed, they may lose their status as a demigod and return to being an unaffiliated pawn.
There are two main ways this could happen:
- Failing demigod AC.
- The physical alteration that a demigod acquired after imbuing godflesh is removed. For example, an altered limb gets amputated, or a patch of skin that gained scales is cut off. The entire alteration does not need to be removed; removing even part of it will disrupt the merging, and the character's body and the godflesh will come undone from one another. Likewise, if a demigod has multiple physical alterations from imbuing godflesh multiple times, only one needs to be removed to disrupt the merging.
When stripped of their demigodhood, the character returns to being an unaffiliated pawn. They will lose access to their shrine as well as any powers they gained as a demigod or from a past following. However, if they can become a demigod once more, they will regain their shrine exactly as it was before, as well as all of their previous powers, rather than having to start over from scratch.