Ah, let's see... Monkey Girl? No, actually she's been very fortunate in her second life... That businessman with the hard-drive that he needs to destroy -- slime. How about that kid -- oh he's a Shield Hero. Or -- damnit, Asshole X.
You're late to the party, no bland teenagers or single businessmen who wasted their lives for you. Your world needs someone, you're not just being capricious, and everyone local dropped the ball big time.
It seems you'll have to take what you can get, and prepare for trouble.
There's always a world at risk. But now, your world is at risk. Out of balance, threatening to become over-run. Evil people with wicked hearts rule, and the righteous try to change things and either die, or lose themselves.
This cannot stand. This cannot be. A champion is needed. Someone of pure heart, someone who will not be constrained by this world's norms and laws.
…Unfortunately, this is not the only world which faces similar difficulties, and the 'seed world' that great heroes are chosen from has been… over-harvested.
Better traffic laws, a return to primarily using trains for long-distance cargo hauling, and an increased pay rate and decrease in maximum driving hours per day for truck drivers has greatly decreased the mortality rate of bland teenagers.
Unmarried salary-men, the perennial second choice, have had no new laws or regulations made to protect them – they were unnecessary. A rash of accidents and 'accidents' befell their co-workers and business partners, so they began taking precautions. Now they always move in groups of at least two or three, wear stab-proof undershirts, and have begun favoring car-pooling over public transportation. A few even broke down and started dating!
While good for the 'seed world', this has decidedly negative effects for your world.
Some worlds have powerful gods, wise wizards, sprawling dungeons, insane levels of technology, vast skyscrapers and aliens and marvels of genetic engineering. And that's just in one universe! Not that you'd want to have to deal with the Four…
No, your world isn't one of the 'greats', but you think it shows promise.
-[] World
-[] High Fantasy
--[] Western (Swords and Sorcery, Gandalfs and goblins.)
--[] Eastern (Sects and Sages, cultivation and corruption.)
--[] Both, in the same world!? Gasp!
-[] Post Apocalypse
--[] Sea Based (think 'Future Boy Conan')
--[] Land Based (water is life)
-[] Industrial Revolution
--[] Steampunk
--[] Magic with Rules (FMA- or Youjo Senki-style)
--[] 'Normal' on the surface but with things going on. (fairy tales are real, hidden magic, shoe gnomes.)
As far as candidates go, you have a few options, but none of them are ideal. The 'seed world' was chosen for a reason. Its location is metaphysically 'central'. Its populace is untainted, and advanced enough that they have stories and fantasies about transmigration.
It was 'easy' to pluck an unfortunate away for a life of adventure and harem-building.
It's no longer so 'easy'. The list of ideal candidates has become greatly reduced, the implementation of wider safety regulations has made it substantially more difficult to arrange an 'accident', and the metaphysical 'scene' has been affected by peoples' thoughts and fears.
Beings like you – guardians, gods, and Great Masters alike – choose uninteresting middle-of-the-road under-achieving accident victims for a reason. 'Blank Slates' are easier to push in the right direction. Give them positive attention and the right impetus and they're less likely to hare off and start the world's first chain of pizza parlors.
You still regret Giuseppe.
So your candidate pool is less than ideal, and even if you find someone, you'd have to expend a greater amount of power than you'd prefer. Ordinarily, it would leave you depleted but not drastically so. Unfortunately, you already spent a great deal of power on an unsuccessful gambit. May his mozzarella rot.
You've got one choice, and then you're spent. Dead, or as good as. In time, you may come back – or, if the metaphysical character of your world changes enough, another being may replace you. You'll have just enough power left over to give your champion the vaunted "cheat power". But the game is rigged. No more chances. No more 'perfect taste-buds'.
You will merge with your candidate, impart a certain amount of knowledge, a certain amount of power, and ensure that they stay on the path of saving your people. You got this technique from a certain other world you have your eye on.
Your natural ally, the truck, has only had a few victims recently, and they're… not great. If you go this route, the 'cheat' is going to be very necessary.
[] Champion Source. Normally, it'd be a no-brainer, but pickin's are slim.
-[] The 'Seed World' (Highest customization, no crossovers)
--[] Senior Citizen. Not used to the new safety regulations and too slow to jump out of the way.
--[] Truck Driver. Swerved to avoid a gaggle of businessmen.
--[] Cat. The truck driver was heart-broken.
Alternatively, you could grab someone from a different world. Not just someone with potential, someone who's used that potential. It would cost you more power, but given the recent metaphysical changes the 'seed world' experienced, it's not an automatic 'no' anymore.
The main problem is that other worlds tend to have protective guardians of their own. You have to swoop in at a vulnerable moment or engage in 'horse trading'. The power given from the "cheat" merge will be negligible, but they're a ready-made hero.
No matter what, though, you're not touching the Degurechaff Debacle. That guy's an asshole.
-[] Someone Else's Playground All of the 'greats' are off limits, and so are most of the 'goods'. But the 'ehs'? They're ripe for the picking. (They'll be more-or-less compelled to be on the path of righteousness, but some of them are deranged and that will have very fun consequences!)
--[] Fullmetal Alchemist. The Elrics are strictly off-limits, you're neither willing nor able to exchange something equivalent to them. However, Truth does believe in your cause, and won't interfere if you choose someone who hasn't gone Gate-gazing… so long as you do the legwork yourself.
---[] Shou Tucker. Morally bankrupt, but he is an alchemist! A weak alchemist. With weak morals. But an alchemist.
---[] Nina Tucker. She deserved better. There was no equivalent exchange involved there. Truth salutes you.
---[] Captain Buccaneer. He's a bear-sized man with a robot arm. Sure, he doesn't know chi or alchemy, but look at the muscularity!
---[] Maes Hughes. A family man... and an investigator. He figured out the sinister plot before anyone else did... and then died. You could use talen like that. Then again, after dying he's probably itching for an opportunity to gush about his daughter.
--[] Avatar. You've had your eye on the Avatar Cycle for a while, and it's just been broken by that weird 'harmonic convergence' thing. You want Aang. You really, really want Aang, but he said 'only if I can bring my wife' and she's still alive, so that's that. As a 'plus', residents of the Spirit World are far easier to locate and 'yoink', and Raava is willing to help you out, meaning you won't need to expend much power on acquiring your Chosen, and any innate bending is locked in.
---[] The Boulder. "The Boulder needs no introduction, he will crush the opposition and return balance to your world!" That's what he said, verbatim.
-–[] Huu. Pants are an illusion, and so is death.
-–[] Tai Li. Not really leadership material, more of a follower. Easily cowed. But she's peppy and she's got moves, and she did learn to overcome her fear to help her true friends.
-–[] Jet. He did actually die, at some point. You were half-wondering if Korra would meet him, alas.
---[Y] Cabbage Merchant. In a twist, he chose you. Jumped into your back pocket. Guaranteed extra hero as long as you choose Someone Else's Playground, but this guy is also. A guaranteed Giuseppe 2.0.
---[] Hama. She scares you.
--[] Harry Potter. Practically all of your choices here have remarkably versatile magic. There are a few stragglers hanging around King's Cross Station who look promising.
---[] Gilderoy Lockhart. You got a dossier on this guy – a gentleman adventurer who resolved multiple catastrophic incidents, wrote the literal book on magical pest control, and sacrificed his own mind to protect his students? Grade A material!
-–[] Rita Skeeter. Investigative journalist with a secret stealth ability! Not that talented with a wand, but a solid choice. What's that about morals? They're strictly for other people and only useful to her when she wants to ruin someone's reputation? Hahahaha wait-
-–[] Hedwig. An owl?
-–[] Dobby. You just… gave him a sock…
--[] Pokemon. Arceus threatened to sue you, but honestly their other system with a hero in each region makes much more sense than having one hero face every single threat in every single region. 'The World Will Turn to Ash', you argued, could be made to be about your world. They grudgingly agreed to give you something.
---[] Blasting off Again! Arceus offered to foot the metaphysical bill if you took a certain troublesome trio off their hands. What could go wrong!? (No power spent, three sentient heroes for the price of none! Options galore! Meowth, that's right!) ---[] Early Kanto Ash. Ash, Pikachu, maybe more. Ash has just started to understand, but he hasn't even gotten to the conference yet!
--[] Star Wars On second thought, the cat's a safer option than these bozos.
A long long time ago, in a Galaxy far far away… wait, who are these people? Nien Numb, Constable Zuvio, Elan Sleazebaggano?? Is that one guy clutching an ice-cream maker?
-–[] Ima-Gun Di. On the one hand, a powerful Jedi Master. On the other hand, Ima-Gun Di. What was his padawan named, Ki K'me?
-–[] Salacious B. Crumb. He doesn't have much physical power, or any Force potential, but you have to admit he's your most physically attractive candidate by far.
-–[] Paodok'Draba'Takat Sap'De'Rekti Nik'Linke'Ti' Ki'Vef'Nik'NeSevef'Li'Kek. What the-
-–[] Baron Papanoida. Okay, okay, this one's a senator and a planetary leader. A Skywalker even knows he exists – hold on, that's just George Lucas in blue face paint! That's it, you're done here.
And that threat your world is facing. Evil, horrible. It threatens the essence of your world.
[] Threat. What evil are you facing? Pick Up To Two
-[] Dark Lord of Evil. Varies based on what kind of world it is, could be Generic Dark Lord, an evil cultivator or immortal maniac, even an evil bureaucrat. Has a nation or a court or an Evil Army of Evil, but it's a row of dominoes.
-[] Evil Empire of Evil – it might have a 'face', but you can't just take down the dark lord and wash your hands. People have tried. There's always going to be another Emperor. You need to knock down their pillars.
-[] Alien Invasion. Why couldn't it happen to a unified world? Or at least somewhere with better technology!
-[] Gods Gone Mad! You were the last sane one…at least, you sincerely hope you're still sane. The rest… Sheogorath would be considered a positive influence on the pantheon. (Isekai v Isekai, fight fight fight)
-[J] Giuseppe. You broke down and ordered a pizza. It took 3 hours for the pizza delivery man to get to your residence, and you didn't get a refund. He will pay.
-[] Write In Threat: That Guy. Must be taken with something else. After Giuseppe crashed and didn't burn, you cultivated a home-grown Hero, someone with actual stakes in the world. Unfortunately, after you empowered him you realized he hated Giuseppe more than you did, and he decided the best way to take revenge was by destroying all leavening agents in the world. You really hope he doesn't try to break into alternate realities. He's starting to have an effect on alcohol production. There are entire cultures that depend on the stuff to function!
-[] All Of Them. Somewhere, somehow, you messed up. It has to be you, because you're still sane enough that it bothers you. That Evil Empire's been around for a long time -- then one of your siblings empowered a merchant's child to try to topple the Empire. Instead of toppling it, or at least usurping it, they started their own power-base, with blackjack! And hookers! That sibling fell into despair, then another sibling had the genius idea to tempt aliens -- unified aliens with advanced technology and a thirst for conquest -- to attack your world. Genius. You all made a big gamble on Giussepe, and after that more and more of your siblings fell apart. That Guy was the last straw, and now they're part of the problem. They must be dealt with.
Hi there. I tried doing another quest a while ago and I lost the plot. I couldn't figure out how to move forward. All the options are things I'll be able to write. Note that I crossed out Star Wars -- I had a lot of fun picking obscure characters to mark as options, then realized I didn't want to risk having to actually write any of them.
Most of your character options are either low-tier power-wise or low-tier personality wise. Some are both! The name of the game here is 'what do you want to see' not 'how can I win'. Winning is an option. Losing is an option. If we roll 4 nat 1s in a row during a battle, I'm not pulling out the box with a god inside.
A lot of quests go with CK2 or CK3 style attributes, and I can see the appeal. It looks like it makes it much easier to write around. The problem is that 'martial' and 'intrigue' don't necesarily mean you can pick a lock or win a fist-fight. Sure, there could be a separate Prowess. I was tempted to have D&D style attributes when solo, and CK3 if you choose to join or build an organization, but that seemed overly complicated.
I won't make a final decision until quest creation's over, but I'm leaning towards doing a grid list of specific skills for the MC and certain NPCs, and then doing D&D style for most others.
One thing to keep in mind is that I want to make this funny. Laughter is life.
Members: Jessie, James, Meowth, WOBBUFFET other Pokemon.
Assets: Meowth Balloon, Special Pokedex.
Team Abilities:
-Protect The World from Devastation: When the world is directly threatened, Team Rocket will suspend villainy and hooliganry to fight for the greater good. Or at least, to fight for the continued existence of their world. (+15 to all rolls during Incidents of Mass Destruction.)
-Blasting Off Again: They have a habit of surviving failed encounters relatively unscathed, and are quick to recover and jump right back in. (When failing an action, roll three times to escape and use the highest one. Then use the lowest roll to determine how embarrassing their escape was.)
-Unite All People Within Our Nation: Team Rocket has a strange charisma. (When performing high-profile deeds, heroic or villainous, there will be a chance that someone in the back-ground or on the 'enemy team' will decide to support the Rockets instead. Varying DC based on the situation, higher roll = higher quality.)
-Prepared for Trouble: After multiple anime seasons worth of misadventures, the Trio is used to failure. Drenched in it. Prepared for it. (Whenever they crit fail, flip a coin. A heads turns it into a normal fail. Whenever they crit succeed, flip 2 coins. Two tails, and it's just a normal success.)
-Hiding in Plain Sight: Oh Look, Two Completely Non-Suspicious Street Venders and Their Totally Average Talking Meowth! (Roll with advantage when trying to go incognito or infiltrate.)
-Mayhem and Madness: Not exactly Heroic, but causing chaos is what Team Rocket does best. (Roll with advantage when trying to disrupt enemy operations. Will always be destructive to the general area.)
Jessie:
Strength: 14
Agility: 12
Dexterity: 13
Int: 9
Wis: 4
Charisma: 10
Diplomacy: 9
Will-Power: 10
Arcane: 3
On-Hand Creatures (Just Pokemon, for now):
-Wobbuffet: The fourth 'regular' member of Team Rocket is actually Jessie's Pokemon, and Jessie's only default on-hand Pokemon. (No directly offensive moves, only defensive and reactive. Despite being the comic relief's comic relief, has a very close relationship with his trainer… Also, shadow-tag has potential). SHADOW TAG; Counter, Bide, Mirror Coat.
-Arbok: Her original Pokemon, released to protect a group of Ekans from poachers. This act, more than anything else, proves her potential for heroism. Enlightened self interest cannot be argued. (Both offensive and defensive moves, bringing this Pokemon back will make Jessie remember her best side.) INTIMIDATE; Wrap, Poison Sting, Dig, Toxic
-Seviper: Jessie's Sinnoh Snake, sent into the Team Rocket pool after Sinnoh, and returned to her after Alola. Memorably caught after being bested in combat by Jessie herself. no Pokemon necessary. (Primarily offensive moves, Seviper was Jessie's preferred battle Pokemon, and will remind Jessie that she doesn't need Pokemon to fight for her all the time.) INFILTRATOR; Bite, Poison Tail, Haze, Wrap
- Blissey: Jessie befriended her as a Chancey during her misadventures in Nursing School. Despite never catching her, they formed a strong friendship. (Blissey is a primary healer. She will remind Jessie of her youthful aspirations and encourage her to be better.) HEALER; Sing, Soft-Boiled, Heal Pulse
Abilities:
-Anger Point: When she's well and truly enraged, Jessie becomes dangerous. (When something makes her truly angry, she gets a bonus to all combat rolls. WHEN ANGRY (not annoyed, ANGRY) +20 unarmed melee, +10 armed melee)
-Not Actually a Pokemon: Jessie's strong enough to defeat some Pokemon on her own, and she… accidentally? joined a Nursing School meant for Chancey and almost passed. It seems that she has a latent talent for the physical side of what her original world calls Aura. (Easier to learn and train physical techniques, bonus to personal combat. (+10 unarmed, +5 armed))
James:
Strength: 9
Agility: 11
Dexterity: 12
Int: 10
Wis: 3
Charisma: 14
Diplomacy: 10
Will-Power: 9
Arcane: 3
On-Hand Creatures (Just Pokemon, for now):
-Growlie: A Growlithe, James' childhood friend and companion. He was always there for James. After they reunited, James bid Growlie to 'stay' to watch over his parents. (Extremely loyal, this Pokemon will remind James of duty and responsibility.) FLASH FIRE; Flamethrower, Dig
-Carnivine: One of James' childhood Pokemon, it loves him. It shows its love in a… unique way. Well, not unique, but… Unique to James' Grass Types. (A lot of Grass-Type moves, Carnivine truly loves its trainer, and will remind James of his innocently adventurous youth.) LEVITATE; Vine Whip, Bind, Bite, Bullet Seed
-Weezing: The Pokemon James had at the start of Ash's Journey. Extremely loyal to James, to the point where he will refuse orders from anyone who isn't James. Believes that there are no evil Pokemon, but rather that Pokemon should do as their trainers say, and morality is the trainer's burden. Was released along with Jessie's Arbok to protect groups of their pre-evolutions. (Knows a mixture of damaging and utility moves. Weezing will remind James that he's not the only one affected by his choices.) LEVITATE; Poison Gas, Sludge, Smokescreen, Smog
Abilities:
-Silver Spoon in Hand: James was raised rich. Not 'no college debt and my parents own two houses' rich. Not 'enough money to live comfortably without having to ever work' rich. 'Family own multiple castles and mansions dotted around the world and nobody's sure where their money came from' rich. Filthy rich. Despite running away from it, James is intimately familiar with how the 'upper class' thinks, and can effortlessly blend in among them. He's extravagant, campy, moody and impulsive. Par for the course for nobility. But among normal people, uh. Well, he's definitely eccentric. (+25 when trying to blend in with the upper crust, +10 when trying to get something from them. -15 when trying to pretend to be from a humble background.)
-Pokemon Bait: Despite being part of a villainous organization that steals Pokemon, James is an affectionate trainer who loves all of his Pokemon. Well, most of his Pokemon. We don't talk about the Magikarp incident. And James' Pokemon love him back. (James has an easier time recruiting and bonding with creature team-mates.)
-More Than Meets The Eye: Under all the campiness and villainy, James can be perceptive. He mainly uses it for sarcasm, but he has a true talent for raising and training Pokemon. He can getthrough to almost any Pokemon. He has enough practical knowledge about Pokemon to convincingly impersonate Professor Oak. It turns out that he has a latent talent for the more touchy-feely aspects of what his original world calls Aura – though it's not clear if the Aura came first, or if he ended up subconsciously learning it because of his love for (his own) Pokemon. (Easier to learn and train empathic powers and techniques, decent bonus to 'face' rolls (+10 if he has no context, +15 if he has some previous knowledge about the situation, place, or person.))
–
Meowth:
Strength: 10
Agility: 14
Dexterity: 14
Int: 14
Wis: 6
Charisma: 10
Diplomacy: 13
Will-Power: 8
Arcane: 6
Moves: Fury Slash, Scratch, Bite
Abilities:
-Actually a Pokemon: Meowth doesn't have a Pokemon, he is one. He heals faster and doesn't get hurt as easily, has an easier time getting stronger, and can relate more easily to animals/'animals'. Even if he's not always sure about that last part. (+10 to all combat rolls, +10 to diplomacy with creatures, can learn techniques unique to creatures.)
-Da Brains: Meowth may be hesitant to use moves or learn new ones, but when he's forced to fight he's smart. And while he prefers not to fight directly, he's the one responsible for making, maintaining, and repairing Team Rocket's insane mechas and machines. (+10 when fighting outside the box. Bonus when learning more technical skills like alchemy, able to do things with technology. Not that that could be relevant in a High Fantasy setting, right? Hahahahahaha.)
-Schroedinger's Move: Nobody actually knows how Meowth can talk. Sure, he taught himself – but is it an Ability? A Move? Just something he can do? (Explicitly makes talking one of Meowth's innate abilities. He no longer lives in fear of losing his ability to snark at his teammates just because he learned how to Tackle. Makes it possible to teach speaking to other Pokemon/creatures.)
-Dat's Right: Meowth is ambitious. He's conniving. He's greedy. And yet, he'll put it all aside – put enmity and petty rivalries aside, when the Big Picture demands it, or even when he feels like it. He loves being evil, but being good feels good. (No inherent maluses when doing good deeds. It took Meowth a long time to admit to himself that he enjoys helping people.)
-What the Fuck is That, is That a Fucking Cat?: A talking Pokemon he may be, but Meowth is still a feline. The Boss' favorite feline, for real now! (Can seamlessly impersonate a normal-ish cat, no rolls unless he acts out of character. Enjoys stereotypical cat activities.)
Rogue Assets:
The Cabbage Merchant:
Strength: 9
Agility: 14
Dexterity: 9
Int: 7
Wis: 2
Charisma: 6
Diplomacy: 9
Will-Power: 17
Arcane: 9
Rage and Understanding: Explanation on synthesis to follow first appearance in-story.
Giuseppe:
Strength: ?
Agility: ?
Dexterity: ?
Int: ?
Wis: ?
Charisma: ?
Diplomacy: ?
Will-Power: High.
Arcane: ?
Successful Chain of Pizza Parlors. Perfect Taste Buds: Pfeh Isekai: Standard Isekai victim, bland underachieving high-school student with a useless-seeming obsession who got hit by a truck.
-[] High Fantasy
--[] Both, in the same world!? Gasp!
[] Champion Source. Normally, it'd be a no-brainer, but pickin's are slim.
-[] The 'Seed World' (Highest customization, no crossovers)
--[] Truck Driver. Swerved to avoid a gaggle of businessmen.
[] Threat. What evil are you facing?
-[] Gods Gone Mad! You were the last sane one…at least, you sincerely hope you're still sane. The rest… Sheogorath would be considered a positive influence on the pantheon. (Isekai v Isekai, fight fight fight)
IF POSSIBLE I ALSO VOTE THAT ALL THE PROBLEMS ARE THERE, NOT JUST ONE
THAT THE TRUCK DRIVER WHO ALWAYS KILLS THOSE WHO GO TO OTHER WORLDS, THE PROBLEM THAT CLEANS IS OF BETTER QUALITY, I DON'T KNOW THE IRONY
May i volunteer Problem Sleuth. probably not a lot to choose from there, but Godhead Pickle Inspector is a good guy. We can probably negotiate to gain Someone on the side of good there. if not. I'll probably go with Ash as our Protagonist. Power of Friendship FTW (And as fans of the show know, the Power of Friendship is Ash's greatest strength. Well that, and his latent Aura powers but that isn't discovered until After Kanto.)
So just had a hilarious idea for this. It's not meant to be the primary threat, rather serving as a 'Second Big Bad' (or Third Big Bad factoring in Giuseppe) though that's more in the longer term rather than immediately. Why?
[_] Write In Threat: As if the other threat and Giuseppe weren't bad enough, there's also That Guy. For a while there you thought you'd managed to develop a home-grown Hero of your own and could thus save on the power expenditure and politics involved with summoning one. Unfortunately, after you empowered him you discovered that his means of taking revenge on Giuseppe was by destroying all leavening agents in the world, up to and including altering Reality to deny their existence. You just got the Dwarves re-established after the True Threat drove them out of their holds and for whatever reason, the True Threat keeps accidentally destroying your alcohol reserves. No one takes your beer-creating yeast from you. Nobody. Also, mortals altering Reality tends to leave you rushing around for the next millennia fixing all the errors, glitches and mistakes their lack of skill creates.
Is this something that could work or is it going in a direction you aren't interested in exploring?
[X] Plan: Too Old For This
-[X] World
--[X] Industrial Revolution
---[X] 'Normal' on the surface but with things going on. (fairy tales are real, hidden magic, shoe gnomes.)
-[X] Champion Source. Normally, it'd be a no-brainer, but pickin's are slim.
--[X] The 'Seed World' (Highest customization, no crossovers)
---[X] Senior Citizen. Not used to the new safety regulations and too slow to jump out of the way.
-[X] Threat. What evil are you facing?
--[X] Alien Invasion. Why couldn't it happen to a unified world? Or at least somewhere with better technology!
Aliens vs Urban Legends let's go! Greys shooting ray guns at vampires!
[X] Plan: Battle Bonds and Bonds of Battle. [X] World
-[X] High Fantasy
--[X] Both, in the same world!? Gasp!
[X] Champion Source
-[X] Someone Else's Playground
--[X] Early Kanto Ash. Ash, Pikachu, maybe more. Ash has just started to understand, but he hasn't even gotten to the conference yet!
[X] Threat
-[X] All Of Them.
Trust me, Ash is a better pick than you think, right now he's essentially the Page Class from Homestuck, or the Magikarp from well Pokemon. Once we get his strength flowing he's a great Champion.
-[] World
-[] High Fantasy
--[] Both, in the same world!? Gasp! -[] Post Apocalypse
--[] Land Based (water is life) -[] Industrial Revolution
--[] Magic with Rules (FMA- or Youjo Senki-style)
im having a hard time between choosing tai li and nina...but i definitely want cabbage merchant!
[_] Write In Threat: As if the other threat and Giuseppe weren't bad enough, there's also That Guy. For a while there you thought you'd managed to develop a home-grown Hero of your own and could thus save on the power expenditure and politics involved with summoning one. Unfortunately, after you empowered him you discovered that his means of taking revenge on Giuseppe was by destroying all leavening agents in the world, up to and including altering Reality to deny their existence. You just got the Dwarves re-established after the True Threat drove them out of their holds and for whatever reason, the True Threat keeps accidentally destroying your alcohol reserves. No one takes your beer-creating yeast from you. Nobody. Also, mortals altering Reality tends to leave you rushing around for the next millennia fixing all the errors, glitches and mistakes their lack of skill creates.
[X] Plan: Another World. Same old War.
-[X] World
--[X] Industrial Revolution
—-[X] Magic with Rules (FMA- or Youjo Senki-style)
-[X] Someone Else's Playground
--[X] Fullmetal Alchemist.
---[X] Maes Hughes.
regulations and too slow to jump out of the way.
-[X] Threat. What evil are you facing?
--[X] Evil Empire of Evil – it might have a 'face', but you can't just take down the dark lord and wash your hands. People have tried. There's always going to be another Emperor. You need to knock down their pillars.
I love shenanigans and this plan looks like shenanigans in the making. It goes with the theme and could have interesting character development for an impressionable kid like Ash — especially since this world is definitely darker than Pokemon. The character growth could go in any direction. And it's a bit of a classic.
On a side note: I very much enjoy the prose in the quest writing! Kudos to you!
[X] Plan: Team Rocket Vs the Universe! -[X] World
-[X] High Fantasy
--[X] Both, in the same world!? Gasp!
-[X] Someone Else's Playground
--[X] Pokemon. Arceus threatened to sue you, but honestly their other system with a hero in each region makes much more sense than having one hero face every single threat in every single region. 'The World Will Turn to Ash', you argued, could be made to be about your world. They grudgingly agreed to give you something.
---[X] Blasting off Again! Arceus offered to foot the metaphysical bill if you took a certain troublesome trio off their hands. What could go wrong!? (No power spent, three sentient heroes for the price of none! Options galore! Meowth, that's right!)
-[X] All Of Them.
