Esper High (Name Change Pending) - an Online Campaign in planning

So, with my Dungeons and Dragons campaign coming to an end on October 2nd, I've been considering what to run next. As is, I've been developing my own (fairly bare bones) system for an idea I have. Currently, the details are still very rough, but the initial idea is a campaign set 20 Minutes into the Future where the plot is pretty much a bizarre combination of Accel World, Persona4, and, let's just say, Zettai Karen Children (what with the whole Esper shenanigans). This post is largely to gauge interest, and to organize my thoughts a bit. There's still a LOT of work to do on the system, and the campaign concept, so don't expect any kind of release anytime soon.

In short, our heroes-anime high schoolers (because it's me)-are part of a virtual game/stumble upon a virtual subspace/whatever (details pending). Together, they struggle to ... insert goal here, this is really in the prototype phase storyline wise.

Game specs: The system will be a development from the ground up, and will borrow from 4th edition Dn D for much of the combat rules-however, I'm likely not going to use 4E's encounter system (ala encounter powers). The game will emphasize using different rules for "in the zone" (where the P Cs have supernatural powers) and "out of the zone" (where the P Cs are, well, high-schoolers).

Skills and roleplaying: Skills are handled predominately on a pass/fail basis, based on ranks. Rank 0 is the default rank for most skills, and for anything an "ordinary person" can do without any training, rank 0 is sufficient. Characters can use skill points in order to purchase additional ranks of skills, ranging from rank 1 (above average) to rank 5 (exceptional). Each rank of skill costs a number of skill points equal to its rank (that is, it requires 1 point to level up to 1st, then another 2 to level up to 2nd, then another 3 to level up to 3rd, for a net cost of 6 points). There is no finite list of skills, as skills exist in large part to emphasize what characters are specifically good at (rather than "here's the list of life skills"). In addition, characters can take a "negative" rank in a skill, in order to gain 1 skill point; this means the character simply cannot succeed on tasks relating to that skill, even if it's something an ordinary person would be capable of accompishing-for instance, a character whose cooking is downright toxic would have negative cooking skill.

In addition, each character selects a given "archetype." An archetype defines a character's relation to others in various ways; while a character may stylistically fit into more than one archetype (for instance, an Ojou may also be a Tsundere), mechanically speaking each character must select one archetype. Archetypes typically give you bonuses to skill classes-for instance, the Athlete is treated as being +1 rank at all athletic skills; for instance, if they purchased rank 1 swimming, they would be treated as being rank 2, despite having only spent 1 point. In addition, archetypes have two other functions:

1.) Some Archetypes give you additional bonus skill points for selecting negative ranks in specific skills.

2.) Each Archetype has conditions for how one's Fate Points (see below) can be utilized.

An in progress list of archetypes is as follows (feel free to suggest more): Academic, Athlete, Boke (Requires Tsukomi ally), Casanova, Dame Ningen [Worthless Person], Detective, Dojikko, Kaichou [President], Kouhai (Requires Sempai ally), Martial Artist, Military Otaku, Ojou (Dilettante), Otaku (Game/Anime), Sempai (Requires Kouhai ally), Silent Protagonist (Requires unanimous consent from party), Strategist Tsukomi (Requires Boke ally), Tsundere, Yamato nadeshiko, Yankee [Juvenile Delinquent]

Esper functions: The esper abilities (also known as psionics) are designed conceptually based off of 3rd edition psionics. Each character begins play with control over one of six different disciplines:

Psychometabolism: Control over one's body. This includes lots of self-buffs, regeneration, and even shape shifting.

Psychoportation: Control over the spatial coordinates of one's self or others-teleportation, essentially. Includes a great deal of "get out of jail free" techniques, as well as disorienting movement.

Psychokinesis: Control over existing physical matter and energy through kinetic forces.

Metacreativity: The creation of matter, and the control over one's created matter. Is the discipline used in order to construct "Soulblades," or weapons crafted from the wielder's will.

Clairsentience: Precognition, Object reading, and other forms of sense beyond sense.

Telepathy: Exactly What It Says on the Tin. Useful for coordinating strategy, but also includes various forms of mental attacks.

In addition to their discipline, characters will be able to build their style (name change pending). In general, styles are based around 4th edition's series of roles, the defender, the striker, and the controller. The leader is currently not under development.

Defender: There are two defender mechanisms. The melee mechanism involves an "aura," a persistent effect that surrounds the character. When certain conditions occur that involve an enemy ignoring the defender, the defender is able to punish the target-either with damage or some form of status effect. The other defender mechanism is a mark, which functions much the same way, but is single target and can be applied at range. Psychometabolism specialists (or "Egoists") make for strong defenders due to their self-buffs, but other disciplines can also serve the role.

Striker: Strikers are the principle offense of the team, as strikers gain options to deal more damage than other roles. Any discipline is fit for a striker.

Controller: Controllers are the "strategists" of the team; their principle focus is in reducing the effectiveness of the enemy's offense. (DEV NOTE: I may fuse controller's with leaders, so that in addition to debuffs, controllers can achieve buffs-if so, telepathy is the best discipline for this route). Psychokinesis, Metacreativity, and Telepathy are all excellent disciplines for a controller.

GAMEPLAY: Characters have access to powers, that can be used by expending power points. In addition, some powers are have a recharge time, meaning that the same power cannot be repeated immediately. Whenever characters spend power points, they build up their limit gauge (because how can I make an RP System without throwing in Final Fantasy elements?); when the gauge is full, it can be used to use greater powers.

Characters recover power points by "harvesting" defeated enemies. To avoid Pv P issues, harvested power points are shared between allies. Harvesting is not instantaneous, so while it is possible to accomplish in the middle of a pitched battle, this requires spending time that might be better spent on other actions.

Note that not all actions will require spending power points; "at-will" powers are available to all characters, which provide basic attack (and sometimes defense) forms.

More details will be made available upon request, and as things are hammered out.

Just spitballing a few plot hooks and motivations:

• Brain Uploading isn't (yet) possible, however ghosts can get lost in virtual constructs or anchored to digital locales just like in the real world. Anyone who dies while logged on or has a chance to have their soul get trapped. Even the young may get literally "sucked in". However, without a mind the ghost is even less able to function, being just a collection of personality traits. However, they can attach themselves to humans as a means to travel between digital worlds or enter the real one, and as a side effect the PC's now have Esper powers. The motivation could be to find a way to save souls from being trapped online, say by having several friends or family get forcibly trapped.
• Espers are basic evolving mental .exe files, they can only run on a living wetware, but can only spread via online interaction. The PC's must have run into some file, environment or other vector online spreading the Espers. Who is doing this (if anyone) and why is the big question. If you need antagonists, then it turns out a govt/coroporate body wants to "harvest" the PC's evolved Espers.
• The deepest level of the web/virtual world isn't a digital programmed space, but a bridge between Virtual Space and the human collective unconscious. The characters are tapping into the whole of humanity and their own minds by going deeper online. Problem is, being there too long can cause "bleed through". A combination of hallucinations that (thanks to their Esper powers) can potentially become physically real... or drag a person physically into Virtual/Subconscious Space. The PC's have to find a way to police/protect "wild" or untrained Espers from harming themselves or others.

edited 27th Sep '13 3:55:38 PM by Earnest

Not to SPOIL ALL THE PLOT and all that, but the last one was basically what I was going for.

After all, I'm a big fan of Xenosaga.

Yay! Did I win a prize?

If you want to introduce Masquerade type effects on the populace, you could have something akin to "Heatstroke Daydreams" hit anyone in proximity when high end Esper use occurs. It wouldn't make them run in fear necessarily, just start reacting as though they were in a non-lucid dream and ultimately forget what happened or think "that was a crazy daydream/deja vu!"

And to bring it back into Anime aesthetics, anyone hit by Heatstroke Daydreams over extended periods has a chance of breaking through into lucidity (basically become immune) or awakening Esper powers. So Those Two Guys could become secret keepers or superpowered nakama and not just comic relief.

Well, the idea was that the esper powers can only be used within a sort of internet based subspace-kind of like whats his face from Haruhi is an esper but can only do things in the subspace domain thing. So I don't know about the "high usage of Esper powers create etc" thing really works.

Honestly, I started putting this project on the backburner because it looked like there was just no interest in it (and my usual roster of players is down to two people who probably wouldn't really go for it).

I can relate. I was like 80% done with a setting module for pre-colonial to modern day latin american vampires when the lack of interest made me realize it was basically a "just for me" thing.

Still, I don't regret writing it... Or not finishing it. But hey, pet projects. You finish some and not others.

Anyway. Solo sessions can still be fun, and non standard stand-alones do have this nice roaming freedom that long running games sometimes lack. So long as one of your players agrees, you could try running a solo "debugging" session to sort of gauge interest and how well the rules and setting holds up. If they like it, it'd definetly help sway the second to try.

Gameplay wise, the lack of powers IRL intrigues me. So basically they have a "secret" level of Virtual Space where they have powers, but have to rely on mundane abilities half the time? It sounds kind of like Code Lyoko, and like a fun way of keeping superpowered shenanigans in check/contrast. Kimda curious, what's the level of impact the existence of Espers has on the real world?

Well, since I'm going for a Persona 3/4 approach, probably "absolutely none (until the entire world IS CONSUMED!!!)"

It's the "unappreciated super heroes" route.

Oh lord, this just popped into my head:

PC: I'm part of a super team and we're stopping the world from being submerged into a miasma of reality melting cyber-dreamspace, here's the footage, you have to help us!
Norm the normal guy: Wow! Look at the graphics on that, and the gameplay is insane! What server is that on and what's the monthly charge?
PC: What? No, you don't understand, it's all real! If we don't find a way to balance Esper generation and locate all the wild nodes the whole world may be plunged into chaos!
Norm: And it's massively RP enforced? Wow, you're hard core if you're not breaking Kayfabe in RL. Here's my number, let me know if a spot opens up in your party.
PC: ... I hope data goblins raid your e-home.

Ha, yeah, something like that.

Are you running this online?

All my campaigns are online, but you'll notice that the last post in this thread was nearly a year ago. This project has largely been abandoned due to lack of expressed interest, and I've since moved on to running another 4E Dungeons and Dragons game.

I may revisit the project idea once this new campaign is done (let's see... I'd place the expected completion date in mid November), I might end up picking this back up again, but again, the main reason I moved away from the idea initially was due to lack of player interest.

edited 17th Jul '14 5:48:03 PM by TheyCallMeTomu