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A Geek's Guide: Eastern Rhapsody

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Scraped from here.

A Geek's Guide: Eastern Rhapsody

…Your hands hurt as you pick up the cloth...
Sage_Of_Eyes

Sage_Of_Eyes

Waiting
Scraped from here.

A Geek's Guide: Eastern Rhapsody

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Your hands hurt as you pick up the cloth covered body. Your digging now finished. As you had seen your father do for his father, you begin to chant your respects while burying the body. To save time, so that you may return to your work.

"Oh unforgiving gods." You mutter as you move the earth the empty holder of your father's soul. Your arms ache, but you endeavor to lift each piece of dirt as you had seen your father done. "I pray to you now, for the first and last time, as I bury the man who sired me."

You feel something stir within you, resonating warmly with your words. Your arms feel… lighter and more able. They must be listening to you now, you imagine that this is how your father was able to do the same for your grandfather and still till the land afterward.

"I beg of you to heed my lone call to you, as all the heirs of my family had sworn to do, and see that my departed father finds happiness in the afterlife." Warmth pools around the base of your neck and it begins to sting and sting as you continue. The sigil was forming. "As the last heir of the family Zhang, I accept the binding of my tongue to worship nevermore in exchange for this one miracle."

You feel blood drip down the base of your neck, cooling despite the warmth it held. You know that the mark of your oath is present upon your nape now, formed similar to how it had up your father's neck nary a decade ago.

You kneel before the mound of soil, carefully arranging stones to encircle it. You feel tears well within your eyes.

Tears of joy.

You look down from the hill, at the farmstead by a river.

Your home, free of debt, yours forever as it had been since your great-great-grandfather.

Plots freshly tilled and sown with seeds until the fringes of the forest.

Yours to sell, at prices you deem fit, as it had been since your great-grandfather.

A shed with animals and a furnace to smelt and repair metal tools to aid you in tilling and sowing.

As you and your father had used since he was a boy.

A road to town, built over five years by a single man, and a wagon crafted from no less than three great oaks.

Your father doing, completing the great plan started so many generations ago… but merely a century and three quarters in age.

You bow before the five plots, housing the bodies of the men who died early deaths to give you the greatest of gifts.

To have a chance beyond that of being a simple farmer, to take a spouse instead of arranging for a child, to have a future.

You live now with productive lands, entitled to no one and no thing. Your hands know that touch of a brush and your eyes recognize the symbols of ink.

They have given you everything.

You bow until you head is all but upon the ground. Your tears of thankfulness and joy, falling upon grass and intermingling with the dew drops upon them.

"Thank you, for everything." You cannot do anything beyond whisper the words. One day you will drag polished stone here, chisel their names at the very top and burn incense as an offering to their departed souls. You will dig up their bodies and bury them in coffins to be set in tombs of lime, and have that be the foundation to the temple from which your line will propagate forevermore.

You will bring honor to them all.

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Pick a Class

[] Hardliner: You are an uncompromising individual who believes in conservation of culture.
Bonus to: Metallurgy, Culture, Melee Weaponry
Deductions to: Invention, Education, Explosives
Social Advantages: +1 Social Rank with Nobles
Social Disadvantages: -1 Social Rank with Common Folk
Evolves into: Regent

[] Firebrand: You are a tumultuous individual, profoundly accepting and masterful promoter of change.
Bonus to: Invention, Perception, Explosives
Deductions to: Metallurgy, Culture, Melee Weaponry
Social Advantages: +1 Social Rank with Common Folk
Social Disadvantages: -1 Social Rank with Nobles
Evolves into: Sovereign

[] Mystic: You are attuned to the nature of the world, innately gifted with understanding and great power but are hated by humans.
Bonus to: Inscribing, Empathy, Magic
Deductions to: Melee Weaponry, Explosives, Ranged Weaponry
Social Advantages: +1 Social Rank with Non-humans
Social Disadvantages: -1 Social Rank with Humans
Evolves into: Messiah

[] War Hound: You are ruthless and cold, though you lust for battle greatly, you chain back the beast. You are hated by non-humans.
Bonus to: Melee Weaponry, Explosives, Ranged Weaponry
Deductions to: Inscribing, Empathy, Magic
Social Advantages: +1 Social Rank with Humans
Social Disadvantages: -1 Social Rank with Non-humans
Evolves into: Tyrant

[] Negotiator: You always seek to gain the upper hand through words rather than actions, and are quite good at doing so.
Bonus to: Speech, Culture, Empathy
Deductions to: Ranged Weaponry, Perception, Tactics
Social Advantages: +1 Social Rank with City Dwellers
Social Disadvantages: -1 Social Rank with Country Dwellers
Evolves into: Diplomat

[] Hunter: You are a terror on the battlefield, your ability to read your foes allows for you manipulate them to the point they play right into your hands.
Bonus to: Ranged Weaponry, Perception, Tactics
Deductions to: Speech, Culture, Empathy
Social Advantages: +1 Social Rank with Country Dwellers
Social Disadvantages: -1 Social Rank with City Dwellers
Evolves into: Ranger


Tag Three Skills.

[Tagged Skills gain 15 points all else starts at 0]
[The Skill you can Tag has a '-' by it]

Metallurgy:
-Armor
-Weapons
-Tools

Culture:
-Art
-Music
-Religion

Melee Weaponry:
- Swords
- Axes
- Spears

Invention:
- Necessity (Edison)
- Practicality (Ford)
- Extravagance (Tesla)

Education:
- History
- Mythology
- Theology

Explosives:
- Covert
- Mundane
- Overt

Inscribing:
- Environmental
- Anatomical
- Circumstantial

Empathy:
- Motives
- Feelings
- Interests

Magic:
- Sorcery
- Elemental
- Flesh

Ranged Weaponry:
-Drawn
-Thrown
-Mechanical

Tactics:
- Sun Tzu (Preparation)
- Alexander (Cleverness)
- Patton (Overwhelming Logistics)

Unarmed:
-Subak
- You must find a master to teach you.

Barter:
- Smuggling
- Business
- Trade

Medicine
- Surgery
- Pharmaceutical
- Narcotics

Speech:
- Diplomacy
- Persuasion
- Intimidation

Armor:
- Light
- Medium
- Heavy

Perception:
- People (Determining Skills of other person.)
- Environment
- Objects (Knowing what an object truly is.)

Evasion:
-Stealth
-Dodging
-Trickery
​
…​
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Skills intermingle with one another in certain combinations. What is said in parentheses is usually just an overt summary and they are blank for the express reason that what they do must be found out by trials.

Mix and match, have fun. An amusing skillset makes me lenient~

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Chose a Level One Perk!

[] Humility: To remain with feet upon the ground, despite the achievements that grace heaven.
+5 to Empathy Skills
[] Compassion: To never fail in lightening the aches and pains of others.
+5 to Medicine Skills
[] Faith: To never doubt yourself or your allies even in the darkest of days.
+ 5 to Culture
[] Pride: To stand amongst others, a beacon of assurance in an ocean of sorrow and grief.
+5 to Melee Weapons
[] Loyalty: To follow others no matter the consequence and inspire others to do the same.
+5 to Speech
[] Solidarity: To stand alone unsupported and indomitable, a rock to shelter behind.
+5 to Armor
[] Luck: To be truly without fate, to move amongst the weavings of seers and fortune speakers as yourself.
+5 Barter

…​
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[] 'Name' Zhang
[] Class
[] Three Tagged Skills
-
-
-
[] Trait

…​
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Gameplay:

1. Each Turn will be a "Week"
2. Each 'Week' is two phases: Training Phase and Action Phase.
3. During Training Phase Two Skills can be trained, simultaneous learning of the same skill can be done.
4. Skills grow according to a weekly value
Bonus: 15 points per weekly training.
Normal: 10
Debuff: 5
5. Extenuating circumstances (Such as story interrupts or quests) may occur to halt progress in training, resulting in the amount of skill gained to be according to days instead.
Bonus: 3 Per daily training.
Normal: 2
Debuff: 1
6. Visiting towns and interacting with others will generally be done during weekends, though weekends can also be used for training with a multiplier of 2.5.
7. Relationship Ranks:
Starts at 0 (Unless due to character actions/stats) and ends at 10.
No limit to how many relations you have, but time is of the essence.


Rolling:
1: Must be done under Campaign: Eastern Rhapsody, Character: Zhao.
2: Only one roll per person.
3: No Re-rolling/Cheating, if so rolling rights will be revoked and player name displayed under the wall of shame.
4: When Invisiblecastle is invisible, go to rolz.org: Room: Eastern Rhapsody
Wall o' Shame​
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Goals:

Entirely up to player base, though several things are going to factor into whatever goal you do try to achieve.

1.Money. Budgeting will prove to be highly required, your compound can support you as you are now but not much else. Establishing more sources of income will make any goals far more feasible.

2.Relationships. Being friends or even plain acquaintances with the right people can and will make certain goals easier to achieve. Befriending the blacksmith will allow to train your smithing skill faster for example. The higher your relationship with someone, the more bonuses are gained. Losing relationship values is possible, however, if you do not manage them correctly and sometimes you won't even to achieve such a thing due to prejudices beyond your control (Family Disputes surpassing generations)

3.Resources and supplies: though somewhat a subset of money this plays an important factor for those wishing to explore or create things. Purchasing, growing, foraging, harvesting are all important. Skills such as Perception: Environment and Medicine: Pharmaceutical do affect ability to forage, as does others when mining or other things.


…​
 
 

Character Status:
Zhao Zhang Lvl: 7
Health: Fine
Armor: Peasant Clothing, Boots, And Cloak (-10 Spear Debuff, +20 to Stealth)

Weapons: 2 Weathered Imperial Swords (+10 Sword Skill, Concealed)
Budget: 0 (+0 Silvers Per Week)
Upkeep:
-Self: 7
-Blue Empress Dragon (Youth): 7
- War Horse: 8
-Heiress of The Rebellion: 10
-Three Cows (Two Female, One Bull): 15
-Smith Furnace (Fuel Cost): 1
-Maintenance (Wagon.): 3
-Mule (Sterile Horse Donkey Hybrid): 0


Income:
-145 Silvers
-Gaining 94 Silvers a week.

Current Currency: 631 Silvers

Current XP: 100 of 120

Class:

Mystic: You are attuned to the nature of the world, innately gifted with understanding and great power but are hated by humans.
Bonus to: Inscribing, Empathy, Magic
Deductions to: Melee Weaponry, Explosives, Ranged Weaponry
Social Advantages: +1 Social Rank with Non-humans
Social Disadvantages: -1 Social Rank with Humans
Evolves into: Messiah


Skills:

Metallurgy:
-Armor
-Weapons
-Tools

Culture:
-Art: 20
-Music: 20
-Religion: 20

Melee Weaponry:
- Swords: 30
- Axes: 10
- Spears: 10

Invention (+):
- Necessity (Edison): 20
- Practicality (Ford)
- Extravagance (Tesla)

Education:
- History: 30
- Mythology: 20
- Theology: 15

Explosives (-):
- Covert
- Mundane
- Overt

Inscribing (+):
- Environmental: 10
- Anatomical: 20
- Circumstantial

Empathy (+):
- Motives: 50
- Feelings: 65
- Interests: 20

Magic (+) And +3:
- Sorcery: 50
- Elemental: 135
- Flesh: 20

Ranged Weaponry (-):
-Drawn
-Thrown
-Mechanical

Tactics:
- Sun Tzu (Preparation): 10
- Alexander (Cleverness): 30
- Patton (Overwhelming Logistics): 10

Unarmed:
-Subak
-Tranquil Palm
-Crane of Heaven
-Arms of Iron

Barter:
- Smuggling
- Business: 20
- Trade

Medicine
- Surgery: 10
- Pharmaceutical: 10
- Narcotics

Speech:
- Diplomacy
- Persuasion: 45
- Intimidation

Armor:
- Light: 20
- Medium
- Heavy

Perception:
- People (Determining Skills of other person.): 20
- Environment: 10
- Objects (Knowing what an object truly is.)

Evasion (+):
-Stealth: 35
-Dodging:25
-Trickery: 30

Traits:

-Humility: To remain with feet upon the ground, despite the achievements that grace heaven.
+5 to Empathy Skills

-90% Perspiration: Necessity 20: Once a week roll a free 'Necessity' research.
​
-Blessing of The Water God: ​
- Gain 20 Skill In Elemental Magic Concerning Water. ​
- +1 Point when Training Elemental Magic​
-Gained Healing Water: With access to water gain +50 to Medicine: Surgery. (Minimum 10 Surgery Skill Required)​
- +1 Point in Luck rolls.​
​
-Passive Construction: No Need to Spend Actions on constructing Buildings. ​
-Ruthless Marketing: +10 to Business Skill during times of strife!​
​
-Your Heart Isn't Hidden: Feelings 40: See what opponents are inclined to make in the heat of battle. Allows Feeling Skill to be utilized in the heat battle.

-Obtained: Endless Gourd: Increases Chance of Utilizing Blessing Of The Water God

-I Am The Terror, I Am The Night, I Am… Oh! A Butterfly, wow!: Pass One Intimidate Check by complete accident every battle

-A Greater Purpose: +10 to all Tactics and all Melee Weapons skills

-Territory.
+50 Tactics: Sun Tzu when fighting in Territory!
+50 Perception: Environmental when fighting in Territory!
+50 Magic: Elemental when fighting in Territory!​
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Failed Skill Checks​
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Location Unlocks​
-None​
Property Upgrade ​
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Situation​
[Check Medicine: Narcotics: 10: Fail]​
[Perception: Environment: 20: Fail]​
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Projects​
Wet Boots: Business Endeavor: 250 Silver​
​
Project Unlocked: Full Body Harness: 20 Silver​
Inventory

Supple Bow! +10 Drawn, Can be hidden, Required 15 Drawn Skill


Military Box Crossbow: Required Ranged: Mechanical 20: +15 Ranged Mechanical. Cannot be Hidden

Guando! +10 Spear, Cannot be Hidden, Required 15 Spear Skill

Light Leather Armor x3: +10 Light Armor Skill, Can be Hidden, Required 10 Light Armor Skill

Officer Battle Uniform Required Armor: Medium Armor 10: -20 to Enemy Ranged skills Melee: Swords and Spears

Cavalry Armor: +10 Medium Armor, Cannot Be Hidden, Required 15 Medium Armor Skill

Anti-Cavalry Swords x2! +20 Blade Skill, Cannot be Hidden, Required 20 Blade Skill!

2 Double-Headed Great Axes: Required Melee Weaponry: Axes 40: +25 Axe Skill, Cannot Be Hidden, Negative -20 To Enemy Armor Skills

Sorcery Catalyst x4: Increases Sorcery skill by 10, can be hidden, Required 10 Skill

Fleshcrafter Knife x2: Increases Fleshcrafter Skill by 10 , can be hidden, Required 10 Skill

6 Combat Robes: Required Light Armor 10, Can be Hidden at Trickery: 20

Armor Scrap Bundles X 5
 
-For NPCs-


??? Singh:

Relationship: 6 of 10 (Points: 8 of 6) [Gives +2 To Evasion Training, +1 To Tactics: Cleverness, +1 to Ranged: Thrown.] [Gives +20 to Evasion, +10 To Tactics: Cleverness, +10 to Ranged thrown in Combat]

A student who has lost the one she loved: her former master. An ex-thief, she is lost upon the road of life. She has asked you to stay away from her in order to keep you safe.

??? Yuen

Relationship: 0 of 10 (2 of 6)

The armed and armored archivist of the town archives. You're certain there is depths of her character you have no clue to, but at the very least she isn't suspicious of you and you can talk evenly with her.

??? Blue Empress Dragon

Relationship 6 of 10 (6 of 6) [Gives +2 To Magic training, +1 To Inscribing: Environmental, +1 to Medicine: Pharmaceutical.] [Gives +20 to Magic, +10 To Inscribing: Environmental, +10 to Medicine: Pharmaceutical.]

A being of an ancient and powerful race. You cannot determine how powerful she is, or how intelligent. She sees you as a father and you see her as a daughter. She now teaches you magic as only a being like her can and enjoys the outside. Despite her nature, she is actively at war with herself concerning her feelings.


??? Say'fai Heir of The Rebellion

Relationship: 6 of 10 (5 of 6) [Gives +2 To Culture, Armor: Light, Inscribing: Anatomical Training] [Gives: +20 to Culture, Armor: Light, Inscribing: Anatomical]

A prodigious warrior of great skill that is under great stress and expectation from her family and the cause she serves. She trusts you to a great extent thanks to your acceptance of her and her faults. She will protect you even at an injury towards herself.
 
Looks like you've got a few formating issues in the first post, unless our disadvantages gives us +1's for stuff startng around War Hound.

I also notice there's no Merchant Class~ Heh.

Third try's the charm then?

I'ma go work on making a broken character that appears underpowered to completely unbalance the setting in our favor and result in hilarious events. /Joking unless I accidentally do make one.
 
Dummy045 said:
Name: Jonathan Zhang, A Man of the People

[x] Negotiator

- Practicality (Ford)
- Trade
- People (Determining Skills of other person.)

[x] Humility: To remain with feet upon the ground, despite the achievements that grace heaven.
+5 to Empathy Skills
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Jonathan...


For an Eastern setting.
 
[X] Takuramu Zhang
[X] Firebrand: You are a tumultuous individual, profoundly accepting and masterful promoter of change.
[X] Three Tagged Skills
-Practicality (Ford)
-Necessity (Edison)
-Objects (Knowing what an object truly is.)
[X] Luck: To be truly without fate, to move amongst the weavings of seers and fortune speakers as yourself.

The name is from the Japanese word 企む which according to a reliable dictionary means to scheme; to plan; to play a trick; to invent; to conspire; to frame up
And considering how we'll end up playing this character I think it's fitting. Might be doing the naming from a word wrong, but why not?

Here's the logic behind the character, Firebrand class is a promoter of change and tumultuous individual. This means things will happen and chaos will occur.
It will evolve into Sovereign, "a supreme ruler, esp. a monarch, or possessing supreme or ultimate power. "

By tagging Practicality and Necessity which fall under Invention, we can make Practical things we Need. This is further boosted by Objects under Perception allowing us to know even more about them. Maximum Efficiency. And in homage to Recettear, Luck! It does fit with the without fate adding to the changes occurring.


So, we won't have Airship Railguns. But we will have practical mass produced armor and weaponry of the upper level of our current tech level. And who knows what early secrets we might find out through Practicality and Necessity working with Object Observation. Will we be the Shirou of Inventing?
 
I forgot the most important part of my argument.

We've done Super Merchant/Charismatic leader/Luckiest Lucky person sense that spoony Bard!
We've done SUPER MAGE of the SUDDENLY YOUR FOE IS VAPORIZED.

It's now time for Super (Normal) Science!
 
[] Lightmage's character

Just to clarify the skills above is our starting set and the tagged skills are the ones optimized for the build? If so I hope we get to train bartering skills just to fund this character build.

Edit: Nevermind, I read closely. Hopefully we get to invent a spear that shoots lightning ala railgun.

Edit2: Made my own character.
 
[X] ReinZero

Because at first glance, I wanna be Youkai Jesus! :p

More seriously, it's the first name I'd rather trust over another member's plan. Especially since it has 'Mystic' which can lead to Demon Summoner Eastern Jesus. :p

EDIT: At first glance, would still stick to Reiny's plan, because if we're going Jesus/Messiah Route, we'd most likely need those social skills to reduce/negate the penalty to interacting with Humans.

The alternative being of course; go 'Dark Messiah' route... But in general, I want to see if we can IC promote peace and prosperity and such.

And in advance for SBers not voting for Social Fu: We get Magic by default via Mystic, so don't worry about being unprepared to defend thyself.
 
ReinZero said:
I'm actually rolling with diplo tactics instead.

Just... well, diplomacy and tactics are on two conflicting sides. Note how my build does not take any magic as a tagged skill. If anything, it's less than optimized, thus more emphasizing on fun as opposed to stomp~
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Ah, back in the first one we did try Diplomacy, and even with a ridiculously high Speech skill and Cha we hardly ever ended up using it right.

But see, you have a penalty to Human Interaction, while a bonus to monster interaction. Wouldn't it be best for diplomacy to be the "Negotiator: You always seek to gain the upper hand through words rather than actions, and are quite good at doing so."

It even states that it'll evolve into the Diplomat.

To further this, you have no offensive power to protect yourself against Radical Monster hating humans, the ones you'd need a high skill level to have any hope of talking down. [60+] . And really, It's a Sage of Eyes quest. We gotta help him make a proper rule setup so that we can't stop through. I think this one might be the one that no matter what build we have, it won't be Fleet of Airship Railguns by Turn 7.
 
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