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The Streetwalker's Guide to the Hierarchy

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Swift voting; we'll do a preliminary tally in several hours. I expect to finalize the outcome by day's end.
 
Hail to the Dominion! Greatest nation that ever was or ever will be.

Hail to the Lords and Ladies! Steadfast guardians and guiders of mankind.

Hail to the Ancients! The pillars upon which the rule of law stands.

Hail to the Litanies! The tools by which civilization stands.​

[X] Litanist

I'm sure @Orm Embar will be utterly surprised and perplexed that I picked this option :V Still, I don't believe some shilling is out of place if only to stimulate some further debates.

So why should you pick Litanist, you might be asking yourself.

The first reason is quite simple: you're going to have a musical voice to die for. No more awkward singing under the shower! On a more serious note, as the blurb itself indicates there will be a deeper connection to the Street - for its other name is the Street Where The Stones Speak. A name with a number of interesting developments for someone wielding a vocal-based magical system, should one be willing enough to dig in that direction.

The second reason is that Litanies are just that cool. Calling it a versatile system is absolutely correct: there is little a Litanist cannot accomplish given enough time and studies. Sure, the main character will be rather callow by most standards - don't expect to bench-press planets soon - but power and versality will be great to give the middle finger to whatever Morton's Fork on the way. To make a (somewhat) humorous, brief and non-exhaustive list of what they can do...

Need to empower yourself, your allies or build Artifacts to hand out like candies? Reinforcement. Want to devour other people's attributes or wipe out an annoyance's entire geneological line? Reaping. Wish to really know where you end up and how many assassins will be sent after you the third day of the sixth month? Revelation. Need to make folks or even rocks more pliable to your words? Reassurance. Care to pick at emotional ties or re-direct that pesky curse onto someone else? Reciprocity. Don't like someone or something, so just YEET it out of orbit? Repulsion.

The third and final reason is perhaps of a more personal nature yet compelling. Have you ever wondered what casual power and might do to a person and their worldview? We are submerged in media (like Isek*i) describing characters whose powers veer into absolutely bonkers territory...and yet they often retain the personality of a wet noodle. It is not a recent trapping either, because we've seen plenty of older literature, games or tabletop RPGs where there is not much insight into what it means to be powerful to one's psyche.

Ambition and hubris are not sins for a Litanist, self-doubt and obscurantism are the enemy. There is no need to be an edgelord (in fact, some Litanial combinations can be downright salvific) yet morality often goes to interesting places: is it necessary to feel guilty for the death of mooks if you can resurrect them later? What is the commonality between the common man and a Litanist who can wreck a city with sharp enough chant? What are you, reader of this Quest, once handed enough power to shape the world but have no mean to whale your way to victory?

Thank you for coming to my CM Talk.
 
[X] Litanist

When the Finders' Guild analyzed your potential, with your 'remarkable' talent, you believed you were on a fast track to unparalleled greatness. It changed the moment you stepped through the academy doors and realized finally that every Litanist's road is one of arduous centuries of toil, rather than instants of fantastic glory.
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What hubris, to believe that the road to becoming the strongest is merely a street. Road to true power is nothing short of a sheer cliff, littered with deadly challenges. Stand true, fight onwards; never yield, sometimes retreat. Drag your being unceasingly onwards and shout your challenge bravely to all heavens to hear.

Still, beware
Sometimes heavens respond

Row row practice the magic etc
 
[] Angel

Just want to see the angel in the world of darkness. And how it will end up.​

[X] Masked

Could be an interesting option too.

Edit: I flipped the coin. Never tried something like Masked Character before.
 
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[X] Masked

I also like the Angel a lot, but the Persona fan in me is shaking hands with the Vtuber/pro wrestling/roleplaying/Grant Morrison fan in me, all of whom are obsessed with the idea of "identity", its meaning, and how new ones can be built upon old ones.

In terms of story, I think the Masked also will by its nature require us to be the most varied. Not in terms of powerset; between the nature of the Street and the nature of the choices we've been given, I think power and versatility will both be thoroughly covered no matter whom we pick. The Masked, however, offers the most versatility of personality; inherently they will be a person who can wear many faces and is psychologically primed to adapt to many situations.

The Angel is pure. The Griever is sad. The Litanist and Ex-Kratocrat are both put-upon, yet ambitious, in their own ways. I am oversimplifying, I know, but... these are the broad strokes.

And the Masked seems to me to be a canvas.





On a more personal note, I want to extend my thanks to @Birdsie - I'm not familiar with the setting, but multicross shenanigans with wildly varied metahpysical magical systems is exactly my bullshit and I'm so glad this Quest exists.
 
[X] Angel

It's the Old Testament stuff I'm here for. Healing the innocent and throwing locusts at the wicked sounds like a fun idea. Speaking of funny, seeing our character be extremely confused by everything will be hilarious.

[X] Litanist

Failing that, playing a snobby elf would be fun too.
 
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[X] Ex-Kratocrat

I gotta go with this one, I mean cmon the numbers go up! How can one say no to such glory
Also the meta aspect sounds fun :p

[X] Masked

The persona part of this convinced me, and the multiple forms of power depending on the masks we wear is cool
the sharing aspect is very useful if we get companions later

[X] Litanist

And of course the Litanies, it is after all one of the most potent and versatile Magic systems in the multiverse
 
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AProcrastinator said:
On a more personal note, I want to extend my thanks to @Birdsie - I'm not familiar with the setting, but multicross shenanigans with wildly varied metahpysical magical systems is exactly my bullshit and I'm so glad this Quest exists.
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No problem; if you're thanking me, you should thank Orm as well. It's his setting, we are simply trespassers guests at his house. This quest wouldn't have happened without his blessing, and more importantly, the wonderful multiverse he made.

Interesting to see a brief surge of interest in the Litanist option! I'll be available to answer more specific questions for the next several hours in case anyone is hesitating by the way. Tentatively, I think unless something changes or there is a significant and noticeable surge of interest, we'll think about locking the vote in another 12 hours or so; a full day should be essentially sufficient for the first character creation vote. I am open to having my mind changed on this.
 
Birdsie said:
No problem; if you're thanking me, you should thank Orm as well. It's his setting, we are simply trespassers guests at his house. This quest wouldn't have happened without his blessing, and more importantly, the wonderful multiverse he made.

Interesting to see a brief surge of interest in the Litanist option! I'll be available to answer more specific questions for the next several hours in case anyone is hesitating by the way. Tentatively, I think unless something changes or there is a significant and noticeable surge of interest, we'll think about locking the vote in another 12 hours or so; a full day should be essentially sufficient for the first character creation vote. I am open to having my mind changed on this.
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What is the system of power progression for Litanies? For Angel it's faith, for Mask it is materials and for Gamer its Gamer stuff. How do we earn points or currency required to obtain and upgrade additional Litanies? Additionally the blurb mentions deeper connection to the Street - would this imply perks such as access to "deeper" worlds, Street vendors or some other metarelevant advantage?
 
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Gabbie said:
Study until your throat falls off.
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That's obvious enough, however I don't expect us to spend decades of in game time just chilling so I'd wager there is some kind of system that lets us get power in relevant timeframe.
incama said:
[X] Masked
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While I don't like Mask much in general, the whole "find rare shit to upgrade" is probably my favorite progression system. Since you can find rare shit via trade or adventure it opens a much wider range of possible activities than just murdering stuff.
 
Wolfy said:
What is the system of power progression for Litanies? For Angel it's faith, for Mask it is materials and for Gamer its Gamer stuff. How do we earn points or currency required to obtain and upgrade additional Litanies? Additionally the blurb mentions deeper connection to the Street - would this imply perks such as access to "deeper" worlds, Street vendors or some other metarelevant advantage?
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Being a Litanist is mostly a matter of study and experience. The Litanies are both a form of song (requiring artistic and musical skills) and a language (rewarding memorization and academic skills.)

Over time, as your lexicon develops, so does its power and esoteric applicability. A newbie academy student Reinforcer struggles to Reinforce their own muscle but can succeed with sustained effort. An Ancient can Reinforce nonexistent phenomena to give themselves telekinetic powers, make matter from nothing, or Reinforce their own reputation to make themselves supernaturally famous and recognisable. The Lady of Reinforcement could build a city with only a few words. Regular Convocations occur wherein a symphony of Ancients sings a chorus that expands the Dominion itself, adding new continents and features as needed. As Crimson Moon said, there is almost no limit to what the Litanies can achieve.

On the other hand, all of that takes an awful amount of bookbanging, hence some useful shortcuts to power. The most popular is Reaping; a Litany fundamentally all about diminishing and picking apart the world to strengthen oneself. Even a newbie Reaper can extract health, lifespan, strength, or specific skills out of a victim; a more sophisticated one could Reap magical capabilities and powers to inculcate them in himself. This can be even further boosted with the Litany of Reciprocity, which handles connections; if a magic can't be Reaped, simply Reciprocally transfer its relevant elements or permissions to yourself. Revelation can do mental buffs as well, enhancing or streamlining specific mental processes; this includes learning. You could also use Reassurance to make a theme of thievery for yourself, enhancing all efforts to seize power or artefacts.

It also bears keeping in mind this post's first paragraph. Skills can be Reaped and Reinforced, and one thing Revelation grants unstintingly is memory.
 
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Also, I completely forgot to answer Wolfy's question about attunement.

Shortly, your attunement with the Street improves odds of finding "desirable worlds," rather than random ones. Injured? Street will give you a sci-fi hospital. Hungry? Here's a tavern. And so on. As attunement improves, you'll also develop supernal stamina, both mental and physical, and eventually you might hear hints of worlds to come in the song of the stones. "Deeper" worlds are also possible. There are other benefits but they are minor corollaries, barely worth mentioning: slightly improved hearing, instincts for geology and travel, and so on.
 
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Birdsie said:
Being a Litanist is mostly a matter of study and experience. The Litanies are both a form of song (requiring artistic and musical skills) and a language (rewarding memorization and academic skills.)

Over time, as your lexicon develops, so does its powe and esoteric applicability. A newbie academy student Reinforcer struggles to Reinforce their own muscle but can succeed with sustained effort. An Ancient can Reinforce nonexistent phenomena to give themselves telekinetic powers, make matter from nothing, or Reinforce their own reputation to make themselves supernaturally famous and recognisable. The Lady of Reinforcement could build a city with only a few words. Regular Convocations occur wherein a symphony of Ancients sings a chorus that expands the Dominion itself, adding new continents and features as needed. As Crimson Moon said, there is almost no limit to what the Litanies can achieve.

On the other hand, all of that takes an awful amount of bookbanging, hence some useful shortcuts to power. The most popular is Reaping; a Litany fundamentally all about diminishing and picking apart the world to strengthen oneself. Even a newbie Reaper can extract health, lifespan, strength, or specific skills out of a victim; a more sophisticated one could Reap magical capabilities and powers to inculcate them in himself. This can be even further boosted with the Litany of Reciprocity, which handles connections; if a magic can't be Reaped, simply Reciprocally transfer its relevant elements or permissions to yourself. Revelation can do mental buffs as well, enhancing or streamlining specific mental processes; this includes learning. You could also use Reassurance to make a theme of thievery for yourself, enhancing all efforts to seize power or artefacts.

It also bears keeping in mind this post's first paragraph. Skills can be Reaped and Reinforced, and one thing Revelation grants unstintingly is memory.
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So in actuality we are likely to be an acoustic vampire. That's pretty based, I won't lie. It also makes me very interested in Dominion; a society where quickest way to power is murder, and yet the greatest power will be the one that sings in accord.

We do get owned by Silence spells but hey, what mage doesn't?
 
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[X] Ex-Kratocrat
Always, loved a good lit-rpg.

[X] Griever
Yes! Give me the angst!

Edit:
[X] Litanist
[X] Angel

[] Masked
 
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