Twenty years ago, the world was thrown into the "Great War". The hands of man joined the claws of monsters in tearing trenches into the countryside. Mounted riflemen charged forward as artillery shells fell to earth like raindrops, as fiery breath cleared trenches with the aid of hand grenades, as the sky was blotted out by machines and beasts. The Allies finally achieved victory after the Hundred Days Offensive, part of a massive mobilization joined by the new technology of tanks aided by high-defense beasts. The world is at peace, for a time, though wise men know it will not last. For all the talk of "Peace in our time", it is clear war is just on the horizon.
This is the world we live in, a world of monsters ruled by men. There are no "mundane" animals as such, only a variety of monsters fulfilling every niche. The people of this world are able to control these powerful creatures through "Bonding", a poorly understood ritual that allows a human to control a monster completely. Every individual is born with a Brand, a tattoo like birthmark typically found on the palm of their dominant hand. When placed near a wild monster, this brand glows brightly. When the Brand makes intentional contact with the monster, there is a chance for a Bond to form. The chance increases if the monster is injured, tired, or weakened. Naturally, more powerful or free willed monsters are more difficult to Bond with. Once a Bond is formed, the Brand is placed on the monster, marking its ownership. The monster will listen to any command given by its master, no matter its difficulty or danger. It does have its limits, however. The average human can only control four monsters at a time. Though they may capture more, every one after the fourth will fall into hibernation. Active monsters can be switched out, often leading to experienced monster masters to place all but three in a safe location before hunting for new ones. Additionally, if the human who branded them dies, they immediately fall unconscious. What happens next varies depending on the luck of the monster: some die, some fall into hibernation for months or years before waking up, some return to the wild the next day.
Naming every individual monster would be a near impossible task. As such, monsters are classified into several categories depending on their abilities, strengths, and weaknesses.
Monster Types:
Kaiju: Said to be the most powerful monster type-these creatures are capable of taking and dishing out untold amounts of damage. Thankfully incredibly rare, the few who have popped up in the course of history are the stuff of legends. Each is absolutely massive, such that the largest of buildings and creatures is nothing compared to them. It is said that a single one could take the enemy capitol with ease, if not destroy the entirety of the enemy forces. Bonus to: Everything but other Kaiju. Just assume every creature has a penalty to Kaiju, for simplicity sake. Penalty to: None. Example: Godzilla.
Fire Type: These monsters all have the power of flames on their side. Typically these monsters have high attack power, but low defense scores making them effective glass-cannons. They are fairly common, easily found near natural gas deposits, wild fire remains, active volcanoes, and other such locations. Bonus to: Nature Type. Penalty to: Water Type Type Example: Dragons
Water Type: The sea/river/lake/etc monsters of the world. While they are the most common, many live deep under water where they are of limited use to humans. They are fairly balanced as a Type, with individual species typically having their own strong/weak stats. Most are modeled after aquatic creatures and phenomena. Bonus to: Fire Type. Penalty To: Nature Type. Example: Leviathan
Nature Type: Modeled after plants and land animals, this is another very common type. They typically have high hit points and defense, but low attack power. They are perhaps the type most used by humans, being the main civilian means of transportation, food, and other practical applications. Bonus to: Water Type. Penalty to: Fire Type. Example: Nemean Lion
Techs: Techs are a rarer monster form, treasured on the battlefield. They are a newer form of monster, modeled after human technology. They often appear soon after the invention of new machines, or discovery of new phenomena. The reason for this is still under investigation, but for the time being it produces a wide variety of well-balanced creatures who often work well with humans. Bonus to: Sacred. Penalty to: Human-like.
Sacred: These rare monsters are valued for their ability to heal wounds of both man and monster, making them invaluable life savers both on the battlefield and in the civilian world. They are typically molded after mythological and religious figures, and can be found in areas of religious relevance rarely. They typically have high ability use stats, allowing them to heal at a decent rate, but lack luster stats elsewhere. Bonus to: Human-like. Penalty to: Techs. Example: Ophanim
Human-like: Unique among monsters, who are as a rule beasts, this type has true sentience. This gives them complete immunity to Bonding, which they are often grateful for. The majority are humanoid, close enough to be impossible to differ at a glance. They typically have greater strength and abilities then a human, acting as super soldiers for the nations of the world. Many have-at the very least historically- hunted humans, giving them a bonus to fighting this prey. This is also the second Player Race, with greater abilities than a human but without the ability to control monsters. Bonus to: Humans, Techs. Penalty to: Sacred. Example: Vampires.
You are now part of the Allied military, having either joined willingly or having been drafted by your country. For the second time in history, the entire world will soon be at war. But you are not alone-each and every recruit is required to have a single creature they Bonded with from their homeland (For what that means OOC, you will stat/create your own starting monster with your character!). Of course, if you are a Human-like monster yourself, you are immune from this requirement. Your journey starts here, in boot camp, where you will meet your squad and prepare yourself for the upcoming storm. Are you ready?
***
Heya! Stirk again! All the games I was playing died, and I desperately need something to think about during work. I have been kicking around ideas like this for a while, and finally decided to work one up. I am still finalizing the mechanics, which include the character sheets. I want to see if there is any interest before doubling the size of the OP, after all
. In case you missed it, this game is based off of things like Pokemon, Digimon, Shin Megami Tensei, and other 'mon series in a alternate universe World War Two setting. Why? Why not. I thought it would be fun, and if you agree, post to show your interest!
Rules:
The damage formula is (Attack/Defense*Move Damage*Rand).
The Hit formula is (Evade-Perception) sets the difficulty for a D100 roll. Capped at a 5% minimum chance to hit.
If an attacker has the type advantage, they receive a 1.5* bonus.
If a defender has the type advantage, the incoming damage is multiplied by .75.
Weapons change the Move Damage of humans and human-like monsters. They may also change their Attack Type, for example a flame thrower transforming the move to Fire Type.
Monsters change their damage based on their Moves.
Naturally, battlefield circumstances can provide boosts to your stats, for example taking cover boosts defense. Fight smart!
Humans and monsters "Level Up" as they fight, at random intervals when the GM feels its right. This usually means you get more points to spend on stats.
Stats:
HP: Hit points. Damage is subtracted from the total hit points. When you hit zero hit points, the character is unconscious and begins dying. When they hit -10, they are dead for good.
Attack: How much damage the creature does when it attacks things.
Defense: How little damage the creature takes when it gets attacked.
Evade: How good the creature dodges, how hard it is to hit.
Perception: How good the creature is at hitting things, their accuracy.
Ability: How well a creature can use abilities not related to dealing direct damage.
Turns:
Combat is done in turns, in which every participating character gets one action. The order in which the actions are processed is determined by RNG, assuming no "logical order" is apparent.
Actions that take up one turn include attacking, using a Move, Intercepting, Retreating, and using environmental factors (such as taking cover).
"Intercepting" is a defensive tactic often used to protect the human. To Intercept, declare what creature the unit is protecting. This will take up a turn. If that unit is attacked during the next turn, the Intercepting unit will take the attack instead. There is no dodge roll. If the protected creature is not attacked, the turn is wasted. Multiple units may Intercept a single creature, but each is only able to block one single attack.
Character Sheets:
Human:
Humans start with 50 points to spend on their stats. They must spend at least one in each category. HP multiplies the points spent on it by 10, while the others are their invested point value. Human description should include some more or less cosmetic information, such as gender and country of origin, in addition to general appearance, Brand description, and optional backstory/personality outline.
Human characters start with one monster from the sheet below. It will be the only monster you are able to make whole cloth, so choose wisely.
Name:
Description:
Inventory: Empty
HP:
Attack:
Defense:
Evade:
Perception:
Monster:
Monsters start with 100 points to spend on stats, with HP having its point value multiplied by 10. All others are their invested point value. Monster Name should include their species in addition to any nicknames, such as "Nickname (Species Name). Monsters will be able to choose one move from the given list, changing the name/description/appearance of the move as seen fit for the creature. Normal monster attacks without moves are base 10 damage. The Monsters can be any type listed above, except Kaiju and human-like.
Name:
Description:
Type:
HP:
Attack:
Defense:
Evade:
Perception:
Ability:
Moves:
Starting Moves:
Boosted Attack: The Monster lashes out with a claw, blast, tooth, or otherwise attacks slightly more powerfully than normal. Base Damage 15, can be used once every two turns.
Reckless Attack: The Monster throws caution to the wind, allowing it to deal greater damage at the cost of lowering its defenses. Base Damage 20, 75% Defense and Evade on Turn used
Inaccurate Attack: The Monster throws a powerful-but inaccurate- attack at its target. Base Damage 20, +50 enemy Evade for attack calculation.
First Aid: Heals target slightly. May only be chosen by Sacred type monsters.
Stat Boost: Boosts a single stat by 10% on the target creature. Usable once every 4 turns, boost is temporary. Boosted by Ability score.
Special Move: Invent one yourself, subject to GM approval.
Human-Like Monster:
Human-Like Monsters start with 150 points to spend on stats, with HP having its point value multiplied by 10. All others are their invested point value. Human-like Monster Name should include their species next to their actual name, such as "Bob (Vampire)". Human-Like Monsters will be able to choose two moves from the given lists, changing the name/description/appearance of the move as seen fit for the creature. They may choose these moves from either the above list, for Monsters, or the below list specifically for Human-Like monsters. Normal monster attacks without moves are base 10 damage. Human-like description should include some more or less cosmetic information, such as gender and country of origin, in addition to general appearance, species description, and optional backstory/personality outline.
Name:
Description:
Inventory: Empty
Type: Human-Like
HP:
Attack:
Defense:
Evade:
Perception:
Ability:
Moves:
Human-Like Only moves:
Life Drain: Base Damage 10, heals you for 25% of the damage dealt with this attack. Usable once every four Turns.
Another Day: Allows you to Retreat from the fight, guaranteed!
Area of Effect: Base Damage 5. Allows you to hit two targets at once.
Current Characters:
Name: Ahitama
Gender: Male
Age: 32
Country of Origin: Polynesian-born, grew up in Hawaii.
Description: Black hair and tanned skin, this man sports a short black beard all around his mouth. He typically wears a white shirt, tainted with a lot of soot, and navy-blue pants.
Backstory: He has been studying Water and Fire monsters since years, and bonded with Auahi, a 'Magmanephrop' of a local volcano. No
Inventory:
>A pair of fireproof gloves and boots
>A pair of special black glasses
Attributes:
HP: 100
Attack: 5
Defense: 10
Evade: 15
Perception: 10
Name: Auahi [Scientific:'Magmanephrop' / Vernacular:'Magma Lobster']
Description:
A large car-sized lobster with an obsidian-black carapace. Its eyes glows with a fiery light, and lava can be seen running through the interstices between his armored carapace. The tip and inner side of its claws are glowing like molten rock.
Type: Fire
Attributes:
HP: 300
Attack: 25
Defense: 20
Evade: 5
Perception: 15
Ability: 5
Moves:
Scorching Claw [Boosted Attack]: The Magmanephrop focuses a lot of heat in one of its claws, and lashes with it. Slightly more powerfully than normal. Base Damage 15, can be used once every two turns.
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Name: Falder Meine
Description: A "Dutch" American man of forty two. We don't know his real origins, but he is human. Slight and short of build. Black hair. Gray eyes. Marking on the right hand. Mark is circular with a seven pointed star in the center.
Inventory: Empty
HP: 4
Attack: 20
Defense: 1
Evade: 20
Perception: 5
Name: Kricket Meine [Scientific: Persepros Ulinekus, Vernacular: Dragon Turtle]
Description: A slow, tortoise-like beast from the pits of Kilauea. It stands roughly seventeen feet tall and is made out of a thin rocky shell filled with magma. It's eyes are actually fires. Inside, it is hotter than the surface of the sun.
Type: Fire
HP: 10
Attack: 50
Defense: 5
Evade: 5
Perception: 20
Ability: 10
Moves: Napalm Shower(Special Move): Kricket throws his head in the air and projectile vomits sticky magma/Napalm in a wide area. It sticks to enemies and has a 10% chance to burn them. Base damage of [Attack/2]
Name: Anfisa - Harpy
Description:
A strapping young harpy only thirty years of age, Anfisa is a typical example of her race; Gray-brown wings reminiscent of a vulture and enabling flight adorn her arms, her lithe form plumed, with wicked fangs instead of toes. Neither her hooked nose, buzz-cut raven hair, agressively slanted eyes, nor barren chest, are in line with any form of "classical beauty" - her alien appearance reminiscent of just why harpies have found the need to hunt fathers to their race in past times. Her crude way of talking, and "agressive" pursuit of men, is also far removed from any and all female ideals of her time.
Background:
While Anfisas aunts and elder sisters have taught her well in the methods of her race, raidings and kidnapping procurring men has become increasingly diffcult, on account of humanities recent advances in technology. Unlike their foremothers, young harpies are increasingly forced to lay down their nomadic lifestyle of banditry, and align herselves with the powers in place.
Anfisas reasons for joining the army, are two-fold. For one, there are those pending charges of banditry from several balkan countries, supplemented with shameful footnotes of "forced companionship", plus that one charge of attempted piracy. Attacking a british ship, in hindsight, might have been a bad idea on her flights part. The other point, is that it was made clear to her that such doings won't be allowed any longer - just like any supernatural means of seduction (granted though, that such are not the ways of her race). Her flights worship of Ares, and that her future "hunting grounds" are expected to be almost void of other women, might also have weighted in on her decision.
Footnote: While I find the neo?-classical harpy an interesting character to explore, I am willing to tone it down to "only" banditry, should it rub people the wrong way.
Inventory: Burning Torch Necklace in Bronze (Ares Idol)
Type: Human-Like
HP: (20) 200
Attack: 30
Defense: 15
Evade: 40
Perception: 25
Ability: 20
Moves:
Diving Charge (Reckless Attack): The Harpy takes to the winds, the aerial approach of claws allowing her to deal greater damage at the cost of lowering her own defences. Base Damage 20, 75% Defense and Evade on Turn used )
Flight (Another Day): Ju~st what it sounds like. Winged Retreat from the fight, quite possibly in direction of the medic tents.
Name: Ferratus (Animated Armor)
Description: A slightly larger than human, rune-covered suit of blackened masterwork armor straight out of the medieval times. A barely visible red gas can be seen coming out of the armor. The helmet's eye-slits glow an intense red.
Inventory: Masterwork long-sword and a M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle.
Type: Human-Like
HP: (40) 400
Attack: 25
Defense: 55
Evade: 5
Perception: 20
Ability: 5
Moves:
Another Day (Runes of Absolute Defense): The runes covering Ferratus shine a blinding red and turn his armor invulnerable, allowing him to retreat with ease.
Boosted Attack (Spirit Infusion): Ferratus infuses his ammunition (or his sword) with his spirit energy, making it more damaging. Base Damage 15, can be used once every two turns.
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