This is a story often repeated, in a thousand different ways, in a thousand different worlds.
This is a story about lands that were waiting to be explored. About monsters that were waiting to be fought. About secrets that were waiting to be found. About a tower that was waiting to be climbed.
This is a story about people.
About the people who tried to explore those lands, who tried to fight those monsters, and who tried to find those secrets.
But most importantly of all, it is a story about the people who tried to climb that tower.
You are one of those people.
When all is said and done. When you have climbed and fought and suffered for as long as you possibly could, how will your story be remembered?
[] As a Simple Narrative: Aincrad falls like wet paper before you. (In the end, it was effortless, yet easily forgotten.) [] As a Normal Tale: Aincrad puts up a decent fight. (Maybe there will those that remember afterward.) [] As a Difficult Journey: Aincrad will make you bleed. (Your tale will be recorded in the history books.) [] As a Legendary Quest: Aincrad will break you. (Survive, and be respected and remembered for generations.) [] As a Heroic Adventure: The game was never meant to be won. (You will never be forgotten.)
- - - - -
The date is November 6th, 2022. The dawn of the age of virtual reality.
Only a few years before, the most virtual reality had to offer was wearing clunky headsets and wielding glorified joysticks. Today, the technology is at the point of being able to connect directly to the player's brain, sending simulated signals to all five of the senses and allowing the player to actually be 'in' the game.
All thanks to the once-in-a-lifetime genius of computer programmer Akihiko Kayaba, who managed to singlehandedly revolutionize the virtual reality field.
The technology had been stagnating for years, never progressing beyond the initial burst of advancement. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, the man known as Akihiko Kayaba appeared and started pushing the technology to its limits, making incredible improvements every step of the way.
When asked why virtual reality was the field that he had chosen to dedicate his considerable intellect towards, his only reply was "To create a world free of laws and restrictions." Nothing more was elaborated.
But in spite of the obscure nature of Akihiko Kayaba's dream, no one can deny how much he has done much in pursuit of it.
One year ago Kayaba released the NerveGear. Made entirely from his patented FullDive technology, it was the first true step into a complete virtual reality.
And only a few months ago, Sword Art Online was announced. The very first virtual reality massively multiplayer online role-playing game to ever exist.
The release date is November 6th, 2022.
Today.
- - - - -
You are standing in the middle of your bedroom, staring at a headset in your arms. Sleek and streamlined, the blue-grey NerveGear beckons.
You start plugging in all the important cables and wires, making sure to follow the instruction manual perfectly.
Only fifty thousand people would be able to play on the first day, you were lucky to be counted among them.
As you lay down on your bed and slip the device over your head, you feel…
[] Determined, this wasn't your first VR rodeo. (Beta Tester)
[] Excited, this was the beginning of a new age. (Average Gamer)
[] Nervous, you had never done anything like this before. (Complete N00b)
You close your eyes and get ready for what is about to come.
'LINK START!'
- - - - -
More character creation parts are coming, let's see how this goes.
From the bottom of my heart I thank you for taking the time to read this! Any kind of review or comment is much, much appreciated!
Character Sheet This informational post is up to date as of Chapter 27. All numbers subject to change as things are rebalanced. Please let me know if any numbers seem off to you.
Username: Honda
[Friendly N00b]: Decreased DCs during most social interactions.
SAO is your first formal videogame and as a result, your mindset is slightly different than the norm. You act refreshingly friendly and open in a dog-eat-dog world, which can throw off some of the more cynical veteran players.
[Hero Wannabe]: Bonus to rolls attempting to save another player from death/danger
Your main goal in this game is to escape with your life and to help as many other players do the same. You do know if you are anywhere near strong enough to achieve this goal, but you might as well try.
[David and Goliath]: Bonus to combat rolls when severely outmatched
You have punched way outside of your weight class multiple times, but through a mixture of incredible luck and artful cunning, have not only lived through all of these encounters, but have won each and every one of them.
[Spear Fighting Student]: The first 3 spear based attacks of a battle gain a +1 to hit.
Level: 11 EXP: 1580/5000 Cor: 14125 Status: Normal
Hewn from the darkness itself, the cape grants its wearer the ability to instantaneously teleport to any nearby shadow once per battle, or every twenty minutes out of combat.
Black as the night itself, if one looks closely, they can see shimmering stars and galaxies hidden within the folds of this garment.
[Simple Ring Mail +1]
[Req. 1 STR]
Increases base AC by 40
Increases base DR by 2
Increases base HP by 10
Heavy (Disavd. To stealth)
A set of interlinked chain rings forming some extremely bland, but obviously durable, armor.
[Basic Adventurer Gear]
[Req. 1 CON]
Your typical adventurer's garb. Plain and functional, it provides no formal benefits.
[Simple Ironwood Spear +0]
[Req. 5 STR]
1D10 Base Damage Die.
+D10 Damage Die (Lvl 20 Spear Mastery)
Throwable, with malus.
A spear made entirely a single block of extremely dense wood, from the head to handle. The immense heft is a reminder of the pure physical destruction that can be wrought with such a weapon.
[Simple Throwing Spears +0] (x4)
[Req. 2 DEX]
1d6 Base Damage Die
+D6 Damage Die (Lvl. 20 Spear Mastery)
Throwable
Shorter lengths of wood topped with pointy pieces of metal. Expressly designed for throwing.
[Forewarn +2]
[Req. 3 STR, 2 DEX]
Increases base AC by 10
Increases base DR by 3
A shield you found in a hidden room during a quest! There is a message scrawled across its face. It is apparently a super rare item! You've been told to keep it a secret, there are people that would kill for it.
[Simple Spear +0]
[Req. 1 DEX]
1D8 Base Damage Die.
+D8 Damage Die (Lvl 20 Spear Mastery)
Throwable, with malus.
A length of wood topped with a pointy piece of metal. No more, no less.
[Basic Traveling Cloak +0]
[Req. 2 DEX]
+5 to Stealth (in applicable situations) when equipped
A mottled green cloak that seems to blend into forest environments. You don't know if you'll ever use this but it's nice to have on hand.
[The Player's Handbook]
Chock full of information on SAO and constantly being updated.
Authored by the ever illustrious Argo.
[Boar Pelt] (x4)
A common lower level crafting material.
[Basic Torches] (x8)
Used to light up the dark. Can be thrown, dropped and used as an improvised weapon.
[Basic Health Potion] (x25)
10% of Health + 10 HP Restored.
Takes one action to drink.
The taste reminds you of really shitty strawberry lemonade.
[Waybread] (x10)
Extremely tough, extremely tasteless and most importantly, extremely cheap.
[Fishing Rod and Tackle]
Basic fishing gear. It's important to note that you barely know how to fish both in real life and in the game.
[Tinderbox] (x1)
For quickly lighting fires, which is always fun.
[Rope] (x1)
A fifty-foot length of hemp rope. Somewhat sturdy.
[Bluetail] (x1)
A fish that you caught. Apparently tastes really good grilled.
Spear Mastery Lvl. 20 [EQUIPPED] A skill on the wielder's proficiency with a spear. Increase to unlock new Sword (Spear Variant) Arts, to increase damage with spear weapons, and to be able to use better quality spear weapons.
Shield Mastery Lvl. 5 [EQUIPPED] A skill on the wielder's proficiency with a shield. Increase to unlock new Sword (Shield Variant) Arts, to increase defense bonuses of equipped shields, and to be able to use better quality shields.
Heavy Armor Mastery Lvl. 11 [EQUIPPED] A skill on the wielder's proficiency with wearing heavy armor. Increase to unlock new Armor Arts, to increase defense bonuses of equipped heavy armors, and to be able to use better quality heavy armors.
Fishing Mastery Lvl 1 [EQUIPPED] A skill on the wielder's proficiency in the art of fishing. Increase to unlock new Fishing Arts, to increase fishing success rates, and to be able to use better quality fishing equipment.
Thrust your spear forward in a lightning-fast attack. If done well enough, a wielder can pierce multiple enemies in a straight line with a single use of this skill.
<Javelin>
4d5 + 2d5 Base Damage*
4d(ESDD/2) + 2d(ESDD/2) {Spear Mastery Lvl. 20}
Throw your currently equipped weapon at an enemy. You must either retrieve the thrown weapon or equip a new weapon to use this skill again. One of the few true ranged attacks that are commonly available in SAO.
<Multipierce>
Two separate attacks of 1d15 Base Damage each
1d(ESDD*1.5) twice
Attack in a blur of steel and wood, stabbing the enemy multiple times in a single instant. Theoretically, the number of strikes can increase with skill, but currently twice is your limit.
<Safegaurd>
Can take a block/parry action as a bonus action, as well as doubling shield DR for the first hit.
Raise your shield in an attempt to block incoming blows.
*Based on Ironwood Spear being equipped weapon
None currently.
None currently.
The (self named) premier information broker in all of SAO, the first person you talked to in the game, and the person from whom most of your game knowledge has come from all rolled into one.
A loud and teasing nature seems to hide something of a caring soul underneath.
You owe her a favor that she can call in anytime.
A player that you met just after Kayaba revealed the truth of SAO. You did your best to comfort her when she was having an extremely bad panic attack, and as a result, she considers you something of a friend. You are currently in a party with her, and she is also helping to train you in the art of spear fighting.
Excitable and bubbly, she seems to be a bit of an airhead. However, you can't help but notice her unusually high fighting experience… and her savage berserker-like fighting style as well.
A friend of Kishi's that you are currently working with, though only because Kishi pressured (read: begged) her to. As such, you are currently in a party with her.
After a heartfelt conversation, things seem to have started thawing out between the two of you. Hopefully you'd be able to actually call her a friend sometime soon.
A player you met while fishing in Tolbana, and who you teamed up with for the first floor raid boss. A calm, somewhat taciturn, man who rarely shows emotions. During the few times you have fought alongside Heathcliff, he has always attempted to put the safety of others before himself, even at the cost of his own wellbeing.
A player you had seen here and there around SAO, but never really interacted with until the raid against Illfang. When he was in danger, you helped him out. You have seen him in a party with a girl named Asuna.
Warning! All the spoilers here have pretty big pictures of anime guys/girls hidden under them, so if you don't want other people to see that...
[X] As a Legendary Quest: Aincrad will break you. (Survive, and be respected and remembered for generations.) [X] Nervous, you had never done anything like this before. (Complete N00b)
[] As a Heroic Adventure: The game was never meant to be won.(You will never be forgotten.) [] Determined, this wasn't your first VR rodeo. (Beta Tester)
These are the combos that draw me. Think I'll go for the first, for now.
[X] As a Legendary Quest: Aincrad will break you. (Survive, and be respected and remembered for generations.) [X] Nervous, you had never done anything like this before. (Complete N00b)
[X] As a Difficult Journey: Aincrad will make you bleed. (Your tale will be recorded in the history books.)
[X] Excited, this was the beginning of a new age. (Average Gamer)
I like this or the next highest difficulty, and this or n00b.
Adhoc vote count started by Wysteria on Jun 14, 2019 at 2:18 PM, finished with 9 posts and 6 votes.
[X] As a Legendary Quest: Aincrad will break you. (Survive, and be respected and remembered for generations.) [X] Nervous, you had never done anything like this before. (Complete N00b)
[X] As a Difficult Journey: Aincrad will make you bleed. (Your tale will be recorded in the history books.)
[X] Excited, this was the beginning of a new age. (Average Gamer)
[X] As a Legendary Quest: Aincrad will break you. (Survive, and be respected and remembered for generations.)
[X] Excited, this was the beginning of a new age. (Average Gamer)
[X] As a Heroic Adventure: The game was never meant to be won.(You will never be forgotten.) [X] Nervous, you had never done anything like this before. (Complete N00b)
[X] As a Heroic Adventure: The game was never meant to be won.(You will never be forgotten.) [X] Determined, this wasn't your first VR rodeo. (Beta Tester)
[X] As a Legendary Quest: Aincrad will break you. (Survive, and be respected and remembered for generations.) [X] Excited, this was the beginning of a new age. (Average Gamer)
[X] As a Heroic Adventure: The game was never meant to be won.(You will never be forgotten.) [X] Determined, this wasn't your first VR rodeo. (Beta Tester)
[X] As a Legendary Quest: Aincrad will break you. (Survive, and be respected and remembered for generations.) [X] Excited, this was the beginning of a new age. (Average Gamer)
[X] As a Legendary Quest: Aincrad will break you. (Survive, and be respected and remembered for generations.) [X] Excited, this was the beginning of a new age. (Average Gamer)
[X] As a Heroic Adventure: The game was never meant to be won.(You will never be forgotten.) [X] Determined, this wasn't your first VR rodeo. (Beta Tester)
[X] As a Legendary Quest: Aincrad will break you. (Survive, and be respected and remembered for generations.) [X] Excited, this was the beginning of a new age. (Average Gamer)
[X] As a Heroic Adventure: The game was never meant to be won.(You will never be forgotten.) [X] Determined, this wasn't your first VR rodeo. (Beta Tester)
Let's not die immediately.
I forgot to mention this before but the vote'll close somewhere around 11 to 12 tomorrow. I just hope the near ties will be broken by them and we'll have a clear frontrunner, or else I'll have someone roll to decide the tiebreakers (if there are any of course).
[X] As a Heroic Adventure: The game was never meant to be won.(You will never be forgotten.) [X] Determined, this wasn't your first VR rodeo. (Beta Tester)
[X] As a Legendary Quest: Aincrad will break you. (Survive, and be respected and remembered for generations.)
[X] Excited, this was the beginning of a new age. (Average Gamer)
[X] As a Legendary Quest: Aincrad will break you. (Survive, and be respected and remembered for generations.) [X] Determined, this wasn't your first VR rodeo. (Beta Tester)
[X] As a Legendary Quest: Aincrad will break you. (Survive, and be respected and remembered for generations.)
[X] Excited, this was the beginning of a new age. (Average Gamer)
Changed vote to this
[] Determined, this wasn't your first VR rodeo. (Beta Tester)
[] Excited, this was the beginning of a new age. (Average Gamer)
[] Nervous, you had never done anything like this before. (Complete N00b)
