No, SV, You Are the Forest! (Riot Quest)

Raising Kittens · 2020-09-28T02:52:38+00:00

No, SV, You Are the Forest! A Riot Quest The forest stirs to awareness. What passes for eyes blink indolently as it observes itself and its surroundings, alert to itself and its own needs for the first time... ever. No matter how old or young some of its constituent trees are, or how many of them there are, the awareness is still young. Barely more than a child, it hungers and thirsts, but it has solutions to these things. For some of the trees are aware, too, and can act on their own in some small manner. There are two questions that must be asked before answers can be given to the nascent oversoul. First, what kind of forest is it? Second, what kind of trees make it up? *-*-*-* Choose One: [ ][Forest] Temperate Forest -Magic is a slow thing, quiet and unobtrusive it is rarely overt, the presence of magic is hard to find in most places. Magic users are rare and fearsome – one good wizard is the equivalent of an entire siege artillery group, but finding a good wizard is like finding a needle in a haystack. -The level of ambient magic, and therefore the strength of mages and presence of supernatural beings, waxes and wanes on a cycle that lasts for centuries if not longer. [ ][Forest] Tropical Jungle -Technology dominates the world, powerful industries and devices working to improve the lives of the common citizen everywhere. Behind the Masque, the facade upon which the world rests easy, is a world of secrets and lies, of magic and mystery kept out of sight and out of mind to ensure the survival of both sides of the line. -The users of magic and technology clash behind the Masquerade, and the Jungle is one such battleground, a wealth of knowledge and resources for both sides. Choose a side, remain neutral, or strike against all who enter. [ ][Forest] Flying Forest -Magic is a commonplace thing, ranging from loud and obnoxious to quiet and stealthy, the effects of magic are clearly noticable everywhere, usually with minimal effort. Magic users are commonplace, and are very diverse in their use of mana. -Travel as far as you might, and there is no land or sea, just air, clouds, and storms. Visitors are a common sight, traversing the area on vast beasts, dragons, airships, or other contraptions. [ ][Forest] Gene Forest -Carefully sculpted to provide all the nutrients and living resources a civilization might need, this forest has been forgotten, initially hidden in a nook in a massive Ringworld. -Superlative genetic engineering crafted this forest, and so it will continue to adjust itself as it grows beyond its initial boundaries, incorporating or developing new strains as it goes. [ ][Forest] Crystal Forest -Growing around a dim red dwarf star, life has found a way to slowly, gradually draw resources from nothing. Every species is fascinated by its existence. Some hold it as proof that their Gods are real; others that even the tiniest, most infinitesimal of possibilities may be out there, somewhere. -The difference between magic and technology is academic. There are no limits to growth other than time and energy expended. *-*-*-* This is a Riot Quest. Every vote matters. Every voter represents a single tree of the Forest, but there are far more trees in the forest than there are voters. Choose which tree you are below. This will be tracked on a per-voter basis. This Vote is Always Open for new players! [ ][Tree] Heart Tree -When you vote for a Defense or Survival action, an extra 1d6 will be added to the dice pool. [ ][Tree] Mind Tree -When you vote for a Research or Communication action, an extra 1d6 will be added to the dice pool. [ ][Tree] Root Tree -When you vote for a Growth or Offense action, an extra 1d6 will be added to the dice pool. Every Ten Initial Voters will result in starting with one Special Tree, chosen at random from the appropriate pool after voting has ended. Every Fifty Initial Voters will result in starting with one Feature, chosen at random from the appropriate pool after voting has ended. *-*-*-* Mechanics Actions Every action voted for will have a number of 1d6 equivalent to the number of voters who voted for the action, plus any relevant bonus dice, rolled for it. A success is on a 4, 5, or 6, while a failure is on a 3, 2, or 1. If the number of successes adds up to the target number, the action is successful. If it does not, the action may fail, or the successes may be banked until a future turn, depending upon the nature of the action. Types of Action -Communication: These actions seek to learn about, understand, communicate with, or influence other beings, from non-forest plants to animals, machines, and even sophonts. -Defense: These actions seek to protect the integrity of the Forest from external actors who would otherwise harvest or destroy it. -Growth: These actions seek to expand the forest by growing new Trees, upgrading extant trees in some manner, or expand the Forest's boundaries. -Offense: These actions seek to proactively defend the Forest by striking at groups or factions outside of the Forest's boundaries in various ways and means. -Research: These actions seek to unlock new types of Tree, develop new actions, upgrade existing trees, delve into secrets and strangeness, and more. -Survival: These actions seek to prepare the Forest for times of hardship and low resources, working to preserve the integrity of the Forest against disasters, environmental vagaries, and hostile actors. -Focus: These actions are done with the will of the Forest behind them, earning automatic successes equal to the Magnitude of the Forest. The Forest may Focus on the same action multiple times with no penalty. Focus actions are chosen independently from Tree actions. Opposing Actions When there are two sides to something, such as a group of woodcutters seeking to claim some wood and the Forest attempting to prevent this in some manner, actions will be rolled against each other. The side with more successes will succeed in their action, while the other side will fail, with varying results. Damage When an enemy or natural effect obtains successes beyond those of the defense or survival action/s taken against it, it starts harming the Forest itself, striking directly at the Growth of new Trees, old trees, and even the size of the Forest. This damage is first applied to any banked successes from previous Survival actions, representing the reserves the Forest built up to withstand events such as logging expeditions, wildfires, droughts, boring beetles, and more. Trees There are, broadly speaking three 'kinds' of tree in the Forest: -The first kind of tree are those 'ran' by the Players as semi-independent sub-minds of the Forest. These are upgraded only through participation (the more you vote the better your specific tree becomes) and general upgrades. -The second kind of tree are 'Special Trees'. These trees provide an effect of some kind for the Forest, from applying extra dice to some types of actions to unlocking new actions entirely. It is generally important for the Forest that these trees be protected from the attention of hostile parties or the vagaries of nature and the weather. -The third kind of tree are 'generic'; the regular sort of tree that makes up the bulk of the volume within the Forest, they shelter and hide the first and second kind of tree from harm. Features Features are things that are local within the Forest rather than outside of it. From rivers to mines and fairy rings to portals, Features help provide character and definition to the Forest, unlocking new actions and Events. Features may be beneficial, detrimental, neither, or 'it depends'. Size The Size of the Forest is referred to by it's magnitude. The initial Magnitude of the Forest is determined by the number of voters during the first vote. The higher the Magnitude of the Forest, the harder it is to damage more critial assets, the more resources the Forest can draw upon, the more Features are found within it, and the more resources the Forest requires to sustain itself. The base Magnitude is zero. Each Magnitude above that allows the thread to decide upon one action each turn to receive the 'focus' of the Forest, providing automatic successes to that action. Turns A single 'turn' is the time it takes for the attention of each Tree to either accomplish the objective or fail in the attempt. The amount of time is variable, changing with the setting and number of players, but each turn is still a turn, no matter how much time passes narratively. Participation Rewards The more you vote, the better your tree becomes - the more power you as an individual voter have to sway the course of the quest. Victory -Communication: Befriend or ally with all major surviving factions capable of harming or destroying you. -Survival: Last a number of turns determined by initial voter count and location. -Growth: Reach a Magnitude determined by the initial voter count and forest type. -Further victory types are secret. *-*-*-* I had this idea less than twenty-four hours ago, and put it together using mechanics I'd drawn up for another Riot Quest that is still in the design phase. Hopefully it hangs together well enough! Voting will remain open for between twenty-four and forty-eight hours after every update, to ensure that as many people who want to participate can participate. I am aware that this is not always enough time for everybody, but I would rather update more frequently than once a week or every other week. Please hold for reserved posts.

Thread starter Raising Kittens
Start date Sep 27, 2020
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original riot quest forest trees

Created: Sep 27, 2020

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In which SV tries not to get their forest burned down, fall into any swamps, or sucked into a black hole.

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Jan 8, 2022

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Jan 8, 2022

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chill out This is a reminder to dial it down a notch and avoid insulting each other. Engage with your fellow posters civilly or not at all; the quest's about a forest, so flaming is doubly ill-advised.